Acapulco
by Isabella GL
Summary: Ever wondered what would have happened to Holly and Roger in Acapulco if Ross and Alex had stayed in Springfield?
1. 11AM

_I have been itching for a while now to mess with that particular storyline, which was a favorite of mine. I remember crying out in frustration when Ross and Alex had showed up at Holly and Roger's hotel room, cutting up short what could have been the beginning of something real. It's not that I had something against Ross and Holly being together, in fact, I rather liked them together. But that she should end up with neither of them because of Alex's interference? I still think that it was not fair, so I decided to change a few things…here and there. Hope that you will enjoy it!_

_p.s. For those who would need some background on Holly and Roger's history, message me and I will gladly provide it for you._

* * *

_**Acapulco**_

_It could have worked._

Roger had been haunted by this idea ever since Holly and he had agreed upon it the night before. After tossing and turning on the lumpy couch of their shared hotel room for a few hours, he had finally risen at the crack of dawn and went for a walk to clear his head.

He was now standing before a cheerfully babbling little stream, lost in his thoughts as he stared at the crystal clear water. _If they would not have been so immature and clueless, especially him, it could have worked between them all those years ago._

Strangely, he was not filled with regrets about what could have been. They had played their parts to the best of their ability. If they had failed, if he had failed her, maybe it was meant to be. Besides, the past could not be changed, however he wanted it to.

So he was not a miserable man that morning. In fact, he felt lighter than he had in years, because Holly had given him the most precious gift of all the night before: her forgiveness. He had told her how overwhelmingly sorry he had been for all these years about the unspeakable way in which he had hurt her, and she had forgiven him. She had been able somehow to see past his violence, past the anger, past the despair.

A part of him still could not believe that it was possible, but then he would remember that above all, she had done it for herself. She had needed to let go of the hate that was eating her alive.

Roger rolled the cuffs of his pants up to his knees and gingerly threaded into the stream. The cool water awakened his already-heightened senses even more. It was a glorious day; maybe it was the most beautiful day he had ever seen.

_It could have worked. _Which begged the question: could it still?

The week they had just spent together in Acapulco, and especially the night before, had been cathartic. It had opened a door for Roger, a door to a new future, a door which he now found impossible to close again.

When he had woken up that morning, it was with the realization that he was still desperately in love with his ex-wife. He was in love with Holly Lindsey, and the discovery of that undeniable truth had blown him away.

For years, he had felt so guilty about what he had done to her that he had buried that love deeply inside of him. He had smothered it with layers and layers of shame and sadness. He did not deserve to love her after what he had done to her, how could he? So he had kept his feelings at bay, but now they came rushing back, flooding his heart, his entire being. His love had changed; it had grown with him and embraced the woman that she had become. But it was still there.

Now he had to find out what was in her heart.

He walked out of the river and looked at his watch. It was almost noon. Their plane left at 11AM the next day.

Once they would be back to Springfield, she to Ross and he to Alex, he doubted that she would honestly answer if he were to ask her if she still had feelings for him. The real world would close in on them, and the opportunity would be lost, possibly forever.

That meant that he had less than twenty-four hours to convince her that they belonged together.


	2. Noon

_Note: In this chapter I have mixed parts of the real dialogue from the show with my own._

* * *

She was still asleep when he came back into the room. He watched her as she peacefully lay on the bed, in her black and white night gown, her auburn curls spilled all over the pillow.

Then he called her name softly to wake her up.

She stirred and turned over on her back before opening her eyes. For a moment, she looked confused, but then her face lit up as she saw him standing at the foot of the bed. "Good morning," she said smilingly.

"Good morning," he replied as he sat next to her. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a log." She looked toward the balcony. "What time is it anyway?"

"Noon."

Holly lifted her eyebrows in surprise. "Noon?! Oh, Roger, you should have woken me up sooner. We'll be late for our meeting!" She pushed the sheets aside and hurriedly went to her suitcase, which lay in a corner of the room. Roger looked at her puzzlingly.

"What meeting?"

Holly pulled a dress from underneath a pile of clothes and turned to him in surprise. "With the syndicator, of course. The one who's interested in buying the Love Bug, remember?"

Roger almost slapped his forehead. He had completely and utterly forgotten about that meeting.

"I'm sure that we could call him and arrange to postpone it," he hurriedly replied. "If he's interested now, he still will be tomorrow. We can fax him the papers and close the deal that way."

"Why would we want to postpone it, though? There is still time for us to go back to the convention center."

Instead of answering, Roger looked at her and smiled. "Come with me," he simply said as he took her hand and led her to the balcony. He pointed to the plaza down the hotel, which was bustling with activity. "Do you see what's going on down there? Today is a holiday in Mexico, and the whole village will soon be shut down for a huge fiesta. I heard that they will even roast an entire pig!"

He sounded so excited at the prospect that Holly could not help but laugh. "What does it have to do with us?"

"What would you say if I asked you to stick around and play hooky with me? We only have one day left here in Acapulco, and I, for one, don't want to waste it. I don't want to think about buying or selling or optioning anything for the next twenty-four hours, and I don't want to put on a tie either. I just want to have fun!"

He grinned at the thought of the day they could have if she would only say yes.

"You look awfully jolly this morning, and awfully eager for my company. This is not the Roger Thorpe that I know," Holly said, sounding circumspect. Such an open attitude from his part was so unusual that it made her slightly wary, even after the breakthrough they had experienced the night before.

"After last night, I do feel like a new man," he said, as if reading her thoughts. He checked himself from saying anything more; blurting out his feelings too soon could ruin everything. "I'm so glad that we could come to a truce of some sort that I want to make sure that it sticks. That's why I want to spend this day with you."

Holly ran a hand through her head and gazed at the plaza. It was a wild proposition, yet the truth was that she was terribly tempted to accept. Roger's carefree attitude was contagious and reminded her of the escapades of their youth.

"Alright," she finally said.

Roger pumped his fist into the hair. "Great! You won't regret this, Holly."

Holly cocked her head on one side and pursed her lips comically. "We'll see about that."

"You get dressed, and I'll go call the syndicator in the meantime. There's something that I have to show you afterwards."

He left the room with a definite spring in his step, which made Holly wonder once again at how far the two of them had come in the last week alone. She never would have thought that it would be possible for them to get along this well ever again.

She went back to her suitcase and put the dress back in, and started to rummage for more casual clothes. Her thoughts veered to the previous night and she paused at the recollection. They had been getting along alright, maybe too well for their own good.

Her cheeks grew hot as she recalled how his hands had been like fire on her skin, and how his lips had tasted against hers. Then the fear of him hurting her had taken over, cutting the moment short. Still, there was no denying that the chemistry was still alive. To say that she had been surprised by her own desire would be an understatement. She had truly thought that it had died forever when he had raped her.

She finally shook her head to get rid of the thought of his body hovering over hers. She could not allow herself to go down that lustful road. There was Ross to think about, whom she loved, and also Alexandra.

At the thought of Roger's wife, she stopped in her tracks and almost dropped the linen pants that she had gotten out of the suitcase. Alexandra must be going out of her mind by now. Perkins, the bodyguard Alexandra had hired, would have been supposed to report to her several hours ago, but he had never showed up to take the compromising pictures.

And a good thing too, Holly reflected.

Now that she and Roger had come to a truce, the plan to bring him down and to prove his infidelity seemed not only excessive but cruel. She used to be firmly convinced that all she wanted was for Roger to disappear from the surface of the earth. But, lo and behold, it now seemed conceivable that there was still something worth salvaging from their relationship. He did not have to vanish from her life after all.

She could now foresee the day where she could spend time with him and Blake in total harmony. Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, sky was the limit! She could even envision herself and Ross working amicably alongside their third partner at WSPR. This trip had changed her whole outlook on Roger, and thus on her life.

That's why he could never know how she had tried to manipulate him. It would ruin their fragile and budding friendship. She had to find a way to fix the situation for the benefit of everyone involved, including Alexandra. As for Ross, he was never to find out either. She was now ready to fully commit to him, which had been the whole purpose of the plan anyway as far as she was concerned.

She walked reluctantly toward the phone, trying to decide what she would say to Alexandra. Or, more accurately, how she would lie to her.


	3. 1PM

Alex answered on the first ring, her voice tensed to the point of breakage.

"Holly! Where in God's name have you been? I called your room this morning and the clerk told me that you had checked out last night with Roger!"

"We moved to a more private location. What happened to Perkins? I had arranged for him to follow us here, but he never did."

"Never mind him; did something happen between Roger and you?" Alex thundered, losing the last shreds of her patience.

Holly took a deep breath before answering. The moment of truth had arrived, or rather, the moment to lie.

"No, nothing happened. I tried every trick in the book, but he remained faithful to you. He passed the test."

She heard Alex exhale at the other end of the line in relief. "This is wonderful news!" she said. She sounded liberated.

Holly felt a twinge of guilt as she recalled Roger's hands on her body, but quickly stifled it. After all, she was not so far from the truth. They had not made love.

"I hope that you're not too disappointed with the outcome," Alexandra added.

"What do you mean?"

"Since Roger passed the test, he and I can finally move on with our marriage. There won't be a divorce, and you won't get his share of WSPR. Most importantly, he will remain in your life. I hope that you'll be able to get passed this and be happy with Ross."

"I'll have to find a way," Holly replied in a way which she hoped was convincing.

"Is Roger around? When are you coming back?"

"Tomorrow, as planned."

"There's no need to wait that long now that our business is over; I really wished to have my husband back as soon as possible."

"I understand, but Roger and I have actually managed to sell the Love Bug to one of the syndicators, and we're closing the deal today."

"Can't you do it without him?"

"I guess that I could, but Roger was the one that developed the relationship. It might look bad if he left before we signed the papers."

She was dismayed at how easily she was lying now. If she did not hang up soon her nose would start to grow.

"Alright then, I guess business is business. If you could drop him a hint to call me, I'd appreciate it. Don't make him suspicious though."

"I wouldn't dream of it. Goodbye."

She hung up and fell backward on the bed. "What am I going?" she asked the ceiling.

It was one thing to lie about the events of the previous night, but to hide today's plans from Alexandra? Why not simply tell her that she and Roger had decided to spend the day visiting the city?

Because she would be terribly jealous if she knew, a voice said in the back of her mind.

"Nonsense," she said out loud, trying to muzzle her conscience before it could come up with a new argument. She got up briskly and started to change into her linen pants and a white cotton blouse. There was nothing wrong in spending time with Roger now that they were finally getting along, she reasoned.

Then why don't you call Ross and let him know about it? The voice said, louder than before.

Holly sighed at the thought of her fiancé. Ross would not understand either. She sat on the bed and was still trying to decide what to do when Roger came back, as cheerful as before and sporting brand new sunglasses.

"It's all settled with the syndicator, he will wait for the papers later this week," he exclaimed.

Holly forced a smile on her face. "That's great," she said half-heartedly.

Roger went to sit next to her. "Jeez Holly, I thought you'd be thrilled! Is there something wrong?" He peered into her face closely, "You've changed your mind about staying, haven't you?" he inquired, looking dispirited.

"I was just wondering if it's such a good idea, that's all. I haven't seen Ross in a week and I miss him, and I'm sure that Alexandra is getting anxious to see you too."

Roger fell silent. He had never been especially keen on the idea of Holly in bed with another man, but the thought of her and Ross together was now like salt rubbed on an open wound. His first impulse was to lie to her, to make up a reason which would force her to stay, but on second thought, he decided to go with the truth and hope that it would be enough.

"I know that we've been gone for a while, but I really wish that you can spare one more day to stay here. It would mean a lot to me."

Holly was about to refuse when her gaze caught Roger's eyes and lingered on them just a few seconds too long. "Alright, I guess I can stay."

Roger got up and extended his hand to help her up. "Let's go then before you change your mind. We can grab something to eat on the way."

"On the way to where?"

"Ah, you'll see!" Roger replied mysteriously.


	4. 2PM

The resort where they had moved was smaller then the one where the convention was held, but much more beautiful. In the open lobby, richly decorated in earth tones, tourists had already gathered around the bar, enjoying margaritas, playing cards on wicker tables or simply fanning themselves lazily. A sweet-scented breeze was coming in trough the marble pillars, and the sound of the nearby palm trees gently swaying made Holly sigh in contentment.

"The weather is perfect," she remarked as they crossed the reception area toward the beach.

"Yes, but the sun is really strong at this time of day. Maybe we should stop by the gift store so that you can get a nice wide-brimmed hat. Not that I mind you getting freckles."

Holly touched her face self-consciously. She had not gotten freckles since her early twenties. "Let's get the hat," she said hurriedly, "but first, we have to book you another room. Unless you would prefer to keep the one that we have now and that I moved out?"

She steered him toward the reception desk before he had had a chance to protest. The clerk greeted them with a wide smile. "What can I do for the newlyweds today?"

Holly and Roger exchanged an awkward glance before Roger took a few steps back and shrugged in a "you're own your own" way. He silently prayed for the hotel to be fully booked.

"We'd like to reserve another room, close to the one where we are now, please," Holly requested.

The clerk's smile disappeared and was replaced by a worried frown. "Is there something wrong with the nuptial suite?"

"No, no. The room is lovely and we'd like to keep it, but we'd also like another room."

"But why?" He looked genuinely distressed.

Holly turned to Roger and looked at him pleadingly. With a suppressed smirk, he walked back to the desk and slid his arm around her waist. "My wife has a lot of clothes, and we find ourselves a little cramped. And if you must know, she wants to surprise me with a special outfit tonight, and wants to be sure that I don't see it beforehand."

The clerk's smile returned. "Ah, I understand. I thought that there was trouble in paradise for the two lovebirds, and it made me sad. Now, I'm glad! Of course I will find you another room," he babbled as he looked at his inventory. "There is one right next to the suite. Will it do?"

"It's perfect," Roger lied, letting go of Holly and tipping the man generously.

They waited to be out of earshot before bursting into laughter. "This man is a regular champion for true love and marital bliss isn't he?" Roger said.

"It was pretty sweet, actually," Holly replied while wiping her eyes.

* * *

The hotel bordered the plaza where the fiesta was to take place on the western side. The place was already crowded with people, some of which were busy putting tables outside of restaurants while other were putting up stands and garlands of flowers. Three mariachis were practising in a corner, frequently pausing sips of golden tequila.

"My first Mexican fair," Holly said as they made their way across the plaza. Roger stopped to buy fruits and soft-shelled tacos wrapped in Kraft paper before they continued on toward the beach.

"You should have told me that we were going to the beach, I would have brought my bathing suit."

"It's on our way but it's not where we're going," Roger explained. They walked in silence as the noise from the town slowly died out, replaced by the cries of the seagulls and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. After about fifteen minutes, Roger took her hand and led her away from the shore and towards the palm trees. The jungle lay ahead of them, luscious and thick.

"Are you sure that you know where we're going?" Holly asked uncertainly as they began to thread on an earth beaten path. The last time she and Roger had been stranded in the jungle had not ended well, to say the least.

"Don't worry; we're not going to get lost. This is where I came this morning for my walk, and I stumbled upon the most perfect little spot," he paused and looked around to get his bearings, "We're almost there."

Stumble was an accurate choice of word. After a last sharp turn, the path led them directly to a stream, which cascaded into a lagoon a few feet below. Roger took Holly's bag and went down first, making his way down to the lagoon by stepping down a natural stairwell made of uneven stones. He dropped the bags on the small beach and went back for Holly, who kept looking around, open-mouthed.

"This is heavenly," she finally whispered.

"I told you that you wouldn't regret staying," Roger said. He took a blanket out of one of the bags and laid it on a dry patch of sand. The sun was shining trough the trees, warming their skin pleasantly. They unpacked the food and spread it on the sheet.

"I wonder if this is how our honeymoon would have been like," Roger wondered out loud after a while. "Just you and I, sitting like this peacefully."

"Probably not," Holly replied as she bit into a piece of mango. "We wouldn't have been able to agree on what to do, or where to go."

Roger chuckled. "It's true that we could never agree on anything. Still, I'm sorry that we couldn't make it the first time. I shouldn't have left business stand in the way."

"Well, it was a long time ago. It doesn't really matter anymore."

It matters to me, Roger wanted to reply. Instead, he put away the rest of the food and lay down on the blanket. "I feel like Huck Finn," he said mischievously.

"You look like him too," Holly joked. Casual clothes did make him look younger, as well as his tan.

"Do you really think so? I'm glad. Huck Finn was my hero growing up. He still is, in some ways."

Holly raised an eyebrow. "Funny, I never thought you were the kind to embrace poverty." She lay down beside him and crossed her hands behind her head.

"I wouldn't mind it so much if it came with utter freedom. Huck Finn lived by in own rules, he didn't care about what others thought of him."

"I didn't think that you did either."

"In some cases I do. I want Chrissie to be proud of me, for example."

"You don't have to worry about that. You're her hero."

Roger turned to face her and prompted himself on his elbow. "Do you remember the time that I tried to teach her how to ride her two-wheel bike?"

Holly ran a hand over her face and laughed. "How could I forget? She couldn't wait for us to take off the back wheels. Of course, I was against it at first because I thought that she was too young, but you convinced me to give it a try."

"And then she fell flat on her face on the first ride and broke a tooth."

"Poor darling! She cried all the way to the dentist and back."

"With good reason! I've never felt this bad in my life. Do you know what I remember the most about it though?"

"What?"

"When she fell, she didn't run to me; she ran to you. I was no hero to her then."

Holly gazed into the distance, reliving the incident. "I remember that. She buried her face in my lap and I held her so tight that my dress was all caked with blood afterward."

"I know that it's not always easy between you and Blake and that sometimes it seems like she's taking your love for granted, but remember that you're her harbour, her safe haven. She comes to me for adventure, but she knows that she can always come safely back to you when things go wrong."

Holly shook her head slowly. "I'm not sure about that. I wonder if she even likes me anymore."

"She does, I know she does. She's the one how urged me to come here, did you know that?

"What?"

"Yes, she said that I should come and try to patch things up."

"Patch things up?"

"You know, learning to be in the same room without drawing blood."

"Is that all that she meant?"

"She might have hinted at the possibility of us getting back together. It's the dream of every child of divorce, after all."

Holly could not help the color from going to her cheeks. "What did you tell her?"

Roger looked at her intently, trying to read her thoughts. "I told her that I would do my best to bury the hatchet. Turns out that I was able to keep my promise after all."

They fell silent and got lost each into their own thoughts. The combined effects of the meal, the sun and the heat soon got the better of them and they both fell asleep.

..


	5. 3PM

Right before drifting into sleep, Roger fleetingly marveled at the fact that he had not taken a nap in years. There was never any time, or he was never relaxed enough to be able to doze off in the middle of the day. Here, however, he felt wonderfully at peace, as if he was finally at the right place, at the right time.

He turned on his side and his mind started to wander. The jungle surrounding him gradually faded and he soon found himself sitting in Holly's living room. She was in the kitchen, fussing over the biggest bird he had ever seen.

"Honey, are you positive that you don't need any help for the turkey?" he asked, craning his neck to get a better look at her.

Holly wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled, "For the tenth time, I'm fine! There's one thing that my mother taught me to cook, and that's a turkey." She picked it up and put it in the oven, then closed the door with a satisfied look. She washed her hands and took off her apron before joining him on the couch.

"It should be ready by the time people arrive," she said, nestling against him. "Don't you just love Thanksgiving? It's my favorite holiday," she added.

He took a good look at her face and noticed that there were a few more fine lines around her eyes than he remembered. It became her, he thought with a rush of tenderness.

"Are you sure that there will be enough for everyone that we invited?" he wondered worryingly. He was not used to having that many people over.

"Let's see, there are you and me, Blake, Alan-Michael and the baby, who doesn't eat solid food yet, your father, my brother Ken, Ed, Maureen, Rick and Michelle. That bird is big enough to feed ten people, and besides, there will be side dishes."

"Which I'm in charge of," he said, getting up.

Holly grabbed him by the shirt before he was out of reach and forced him to sit back down. "You still have plenty of time to get started on those," she said as she straddled him playfully.

"I guess so," he said, his voice trailing off as their lips met.

They broke away from each other a few minutes later, breathless but smiling. "If you would have told me, a couple of years ago, that you and I would be spending Thanksgiving dinner together as family, I would have called you a fool," he said.

"I never would have thought so myself, but then there was that trip to Acapulco, and it changed everything."

"So much so that I now found myself having dinner with Ed Bauer!" he exclaimed teasingly.

Holly planted a kiss on the tip of his nose. "And I thanked you for that already, didn't I? You know how much it means to me that you two try to get along. Besides, Maureen will be there, and she likes you."

"I like her too, she's a good woman. Too bad she can't stand you," he said before bursting into laughter.

Holly grabbed a cushion and threw it at Roger's head. "That's mean! True, but mean! The worst part is that I know she will compare my cooking to hers, and everyone knows that she's better at it than I ever will."

Roger grabbed her by her thighs and pulled her closer to him. "She might me better in the kitchen, but I'm sure that you're better in bed." His lips found hers and he ran his hands under her sweater.

She was about to pull back and take it off when there was a knock at the door. It opened immediately, revealing Blake, holding a pie in each hand. "Can someone help me before I drop them both?" she cried. She then looked at her parents and blushed. "Oh, I am SO sorry! I should have called before coming over." She turned as if to go, but was stopped by both of them.

"Don't be silly," Roger said while unloading her. "Did you make these?" he said, smelling the pumpkin pies.

Blake shook her head while taking off her coat. "Vera did. It seems like I have time for nothing else than the baby these days."

Holly got up and hugged up with a sympathetic smile. "It will get easier, you'll see. Where is little Brandon now?"

"With his father, happy as a clam. They'll be here a little while later. Alan-Michael wanted to spend the day with his aunt."

"How is Alexandra?" Roger asked.

"The same. She still hates you for leaving her."

Roger sighed and exchanged a glance with Holly. They sometimes felt guilty about how they had found their way back toward each other, but thankfully, it never lasted very long.

"In any case, I'm glad that you two are here with me," Roger said as he opened his arms for Holly and Blake to nestle against him. "To be with one's family is the most precious gift of all."

Blake nodded enthusiastically before her face suddenly turned somber.

"What is it, honey?" Holly asked, running a hand over her daughter's cheek.

"Did you hear about Ross?"

"What about him?"

"He was learning to ride his bike yesterday without his training wheels, when he was captured by mariachis. They took out all of his teeth!"

"That's terrible," Holly exclaimed, while Roger frowned. This didn't make any sense. Why would Ross be riding a child's bike? Something was off.

He yawned and turned around on the blanket, almost waking up. His left arm fell upon Holly and he instinctively drew her against him, and then fell fast asleep once again.


	6. 4PM

Holly was dreaming too. She was standing at the entrance of a cathedral filled with red roses, the perfume of which lingered in the air. Looking down, she discovered that she was wearing the most gorgeous dress she had ever seen. Made from white satin and delicate lace, it hugged her silhouette perfectly and fell away behind her in a short train. A bouquet of white lilies suddenly bloomed into her hands, causing her to gasp in delight.

Was it her wedding day already? She wondered as she looked down the seemingly endless aisle. The church was totally empty except for Ross, in his wedding suit, standing at the back and waiting for her with an expectant air.

Right next to him, violins suddenly materialized out of thin air and their harmonious song resonated through the pillars and filled the empty space. After looking around curiously one more time, Holly concluded that this was her cue to go down the aisle.

As she slowly made her way across the cathedral, people started to appear in the pews on each side of her. There was first Barbara, her mother who nodded approvingly as she passed by, flanked by Roger's father and Alexandra. On the other side, Ed popped up with a wide grin, and, with large motions of his hands, motioned her to go faster.

She looked at each of them in turn, wondering where all of the others guests might be. Then she glanced back at the front to look at her fiancée and stopped dead in her tracks.

While she was looking elsewhere, Ross had vanished, and standing in his place was Roger. His face was mud-covered as well as his hands and clothes. His shirt, which used to be white, was full of dirt and torn on several places. Holly could feel that she had seen him in those clothes before but could not remember where exactly. She hesitated to go on. Surely she was not meant to marry Roger again?

She looked down at her own clothes and gasped. Her wedding dress was gone and in her place was a shredded lilac dress. She could never forget that dress; it was the one she had worn that fateful week in Santo Domingo.

She looked back at Roger but he was still too far to read his expression clearly. What was the meaning of all this? And where was Ross? Her heart tightened in her chest. She was about to turn away and run out of the church when she felt someone nudging her gently in the back, pushing her forward. She turned around to find Blake, smiling calmly. Before she could protest, her daughter took her hand and led her toward Roger, then vanished.

She was now standing in front of her ex-husband, her heart beating violently. This was the man who had abused her, who had kidnapped her and almost let her die on a forsaken island. Yet she could not deny that as he stood gazing at her love shone in his eyes.

When he spoke, his voice seemed to come from very far. "I know what you're thinking, Holly. All these things that happened years ago, that I did to you, how could you ever get over that and trust me again, right? But I mean it when I tell you that not a day has gone by since then where I have not regretted hurting you. It broke me too."

"Then why are you here?" Holly heard herself ask.

"Because we belong together, Holly. We always have, and now the time is finally right. Come to me," he pleaded, extended his hand to her. "Just take my hand, and everything will be alright."

Holly closed her eyes. She felt as if she was standing on the brink of a precipice. Should she jump? Would she land safely on the other side if she did or crash to the ground? There was no time to think, no more time to make a decision, she must -.

She woke up with a start and bumped her head against Roger's chest, waking him up in the process. His first impulse was to hold her closer and to bury his face in her hair, but the look in her eyes stopped in short.

"Holly, are you alright?"

..


	7. 5PM

He was holding her so close that he could actually see the speckles of gold in her brown eyes. He saw her glance at his mouth and lean in, briefly, but she closed her eyes and pulled away.

"I'm fine," she said as she kneeled on the blanket. She shook her head as if to get rid of some unwanted thoughts and finally smiled.

"Were you having a dream?" Roger asked, still shaken by their near kiss.

"I think I was. Something must have happened in it to wake me, but for the life of me I can't remember what it was."

Roger glanced at her dubiously but decided to let the matter drop. "We must have slept for a while," he said as he looked at the sun. "We should get back and get ready for tonight."

They packed and slowly trekked out of the jungle and on the beach again. Roger could very well see that Holly was tense but instinctively felt that he should not ask her too many questions. He had scared her away so many times before; now was not the time for a repeat performance. He waited until they had reached they had crossed the village and reached the plaza to address her again.

"Where would you like to eat tonight? Would you rather go to a proper restaurant or take a picnic on the beach, maybe?"

She had been so silent since their nap that he was half-convinced she would announce her immediate departure for the States, so it was with enormous relief that he saw a twinkle in her eyes before she replied. "What about the roasted pig? I thought the whole purpose of staying one more day was so that we could taste it!"

"Of course, I haven't forgotten about the pig, but it won't be ready until midnight at least. I had hoped that we might have a bit of dinner before that."

Holly nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's see what choices we have," she said, peering at the different restaurants lining the plaza. "We can either eat Mexican, Mexican or – Mexican. Which do you prefer?"

Before Roger could reply, they were hailed from afar by a woman who was standing in front of one of the said restaurants. She motioned them to come forward. Intrigued, they complied.

Once they got nearer, they saw that she was well past her early forties but still strikingly beautiful. Jet black hair cascaded down her back and her bronze skin was flawless, but her most remarkable feature were her eyes, which were wide and of a smoldering amber color. Holly was suddenly reminded of two liquid pools of fire as she looked at them.

"I can tell that you are searching for a place to eat. Look no more, Destino is the perfect place for you," she said emphatically while pointing at the restaurant's sign over the door. "We can sit you on the terrace so that you won't miss any of the outdoor festivities."

Holly peered into the restaurant, which looked cozy and warm. The hand-written menu pinned on the door boasted of the best margaritas and chicken enchiladas in town. The venue looked perfect indeed, still, she did not feel like deciding immediately. This was her vacation and she preferred to choose on the spur of the moment. "I'm sure that your food is delicious. We'll think about it and come back later," she said.

She was about to walk away when the woman took her by the wrist. It was not a violent grip, but instant warmth spread into Holly's arm, causing her to pause and look back at the woman.

"Please come back tonight, you will not regret it," the woman said as she looked intently at Holly, who found herself almost mesmerized by her wide eyes. The woman then turned to Roger who was standing a few steps behind. "I have something that I must tell you two, but not now. Tonight."

Roger and Holly glanced at each other then smiled. The offer was hard to resist when one was as curious by nature as they both were. "We'll be there," Roger finally confirmed for the both of us.

The woman shook her head with satisfaction. "Come at 8 for dinner and when you're done ask for Gabriella," she commanded before disappearing back into the restaurant.

Holly scratched her head. "Did that just happen?" she inquired as she looked at Roger.

"I think it did, unless we're both still napping near that lagoon."

"So you're not behind this little theatrical display?" Holly said suspiciously.

Roger put on an offended air and placed his right hand on his heart. "I am most certainly not!" Then he broke into a playful smile. "You have to admit though that this is all terribly intriguing!"

Holly raised her hand in surrender as they made their way back to the hotel. "I admit it, I admit it."

"Let's go get ready then. I can't wait for this fiesta to finally start!"


	8. 6PM

_She had taken his hand. _

In the dream, he had reached out to her and she had taken his hand. Now she could think about nothing else.

She sat on her bed, looking absent-mindedly out the window. She had been able to put up appearances in front of Roger, to pretend like the dream had never existed, but now that she was alone; she could not find the strength to pretend anymore.

Was being with Roger what she really wanted after all? A week ago, she would have laughed at the mere idea, but that was before this trip, before Roger had revealed himself to be totally different from the man she had become accustomed to.

The Roger that she had known the past week was the Roger she had stopped expecting long ago. The one that she, for years, had been convinced had never existed, if only in her silly teenage fantasies.

But the connection between them had not been imaginary, nor had it been severed.

"Why is this happening? Why now that I've chosen somebody else?" she moaned. Would marrying Ross turn out to be the biggest mistake of her life. Or would choosing Roger be?

She went to her suitcase and hurriedly started packing. She had to leave before it was too late, she thought as she piled up clothes haphazardly in her bags.

After a few minutes of frenzied activity, she dropped on the floor and started to cry silently. Leave before it was too late for what? To go back to Ross? To stop falling back in love with Roger?

No, she decided. She had to stay. She had to find out if there was still something between her and Roger. If she did not do it now, the question might haunt for the rest of her life. Maybe what she had been feeling for the last few days was nothing more than lust or nostalgia; maybe it was more. In any case, she had come to a point where she could only go back to her fiancé if she succeeded in getting Roger out of her skin for good. There was no other way for Ross and her to be happy. Her mission to Acapulco was back on.

She got out of the shower half-an-hour later, her hair dripping down her naked back. A light was beeping on the phone next to the bed. She picked up the receiver and called the reception desk.

"Hello, this is Holly Lindsey in room 501. Did someone leave a message for me?"

"Yes, Mrs. Lindsey, your last hotel forwarded your calls as requested and you have one message from Mr. Marler in Springfield. He asked that you call him back in the next hour if you could, or else he would talk to you tomorrow morning. He has to step out for the evening."

"Thank you." Holly put the phone down and pondered on whether or not she should call her fiancé at that point. Taking a deep breath, she picked up the phone again and quickly dialed her home number.

"Ross Marler," Ross answered in his usual professional voice.

Upon hearing his familiar voice, Holly practically felt her heart jumping in her throat.

"It's me, Holly."

Ross's tone immediately softened. "Honey! I'm so glad that I could catch you before I left. How are you?"

"I'm doing fine."

"Are you sure? You sound a little bit under the weather," Ross replied with a hint of worry.

Holly forced herself to smile. "The weather is splendid, so I'm great too, I promise. I'm just a little tired from all the meetings, and -"

"And what? Holly, there is something wrong, I can hear it your voice."

"Listen, I don't want you to get mad, but Roger is here."

"WHAT?"

"I asked him to come."

There was no sound at the other end of the line.

"Ross, are you still there?"

"Yes, although I cannot for the life of me comprehend what you just said. Did you really invite Roger to Acapulco?" There was anger in his voice, and maybe fear too.

"I did. You see, I was about to strike this deal with a syndicator, for the Love Bug, but he kept prevaricating. He had heard of Roger's being part owner of the station, and he knew him from before, so I thought it might help if he came down to meet the man personally."

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?"

"Because it just happened, and because I was afraid that you would be reacting this way," Holly said sheepishly. She could hear him breathe deeply into the receiver.

"You can't blame me from being wary of the man, after everything that he did to you. How is it going anyway? Is he causing trouble?"

"No, nothing like that. Roger has been the perfect gentleman," Holly said, trying to forget the hungry kisses, the moonlight and the soulful conversation of the previous night. "And he did help me land that syndication deal for the Love Bug, as a matter of fact."

"Well, I'm not surprised about THAT. Roger always knows what he's doing when it comes to business," Ross replied dryly. There was another silence, as if he was refraining from saying something else.

"Are you mad at me for not telling you before?" Holly said to break the silent which was becoming awkward.

"I'm not mad; I'm worried. Should I be jealous that you asked him to meet you down there? I thought you coulnd't stand him."

"It's was a business decision," Holly replied in what she hoped was an even tone, "but it so happens that we are getting along better, Roger and I. We had some good talks. so I think that it was a good thing that he came."

"Okay, if you say so. Congratulations in any case, Holly, you deserve it, and it's a great coup for the station! Listen, I have to go now but I just wanted to hear the sound of your voice for a few minutes."

"Where are you going tonight?"

"To the Bauers. Maureen took pity on poor lonely me and asked me to dinner. I miss you, you know."

"I miss you too," Holly replied softly, and it was the truth.

She hung up and fell back on the bed with her hands covering her face. She had been lying to Ross about the real reason why she had to be in Acapulco for weeks, and it was taking its tool on her nerves. "Pull yourself together Holly. Tomorrow it will be all over, one way or the other. There will be no more lies," she muttered before getting back up. It was time to get ready for dinner with Roger.

She went to the wardrobe and after careful consideration took two dresses out and laid them out on the bed. The first one was above the knee and made of gold sequins. Her hands rested on the fabric for a while and she smiled. It was a fun dress, a sexy one, and she knew that it fitted her like a glove, but somehow she felt that it might be not be exactly suited for that evening. The last thing that she wanted was to look like she was trying to drag Roger into bed. This night was not about sex but about something much more important. She put it aside and picked up the other one.

It was a pale yellow, one shoulder dress. She felt the light cotton under her fingers and put it on. It fell in soft ripples around her ankles. "That's more like it," she murmured as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. There was a romantic yet laid-back quality about the garment that made it perfect for the night ahead. She added gold earrings and delicate tan leather sandals to the outfit and nodded with a satisfied air.

"Now on to hair and make-up!"


	9. 7PM

Roger groaned and rolled on his back. The light from the ceiling light was too bright and he closed his eyes, only to open them up wide again. He sat up on the bed and rubbed his face. He had only intended to relax for a little while after getting out the shower, but instead had fallen asleep instantly.

He looked at his watch. It was just passed 7 o'clock, which meant that he had an hour left to prepare before picking Holly up next door.

"For our date," he said out loud, grinning broadly. He was going to declare himself during dinner. He had decided at first that it would be best to wait until they were alone, in either one of their rooms, but he figured afterwards that she might be more compelled to listen to him if they were in a public place. It would not be so easy to shut him out in a restaurant.

Roger sighed. He was no fool; he knew that he had his work cut out for him. Until last night, he had not given a reason to Holly to trust him in a very long time. Why would she believe him? Why would she leave a perfectly decent man, who Roger knew she cared about, to go back to him? He better pick his words carefully, for this was the speech of his life.

He went in front of the mirror and practiced a few different openings, then made at face at his reflection. Everything that he said sounded silly or trivial. There were no words that could express how he felt, and what transformation he had undergone in the last few hours. Scratch that, he thought; in the last few years. The reality of what he done to her had sunk in quickly enough after falling to the bottom of that cliff; he had been a changed man since then.

He was about to put on a black vest over his shirt when the phone rang.

"Roger Thorpe."

"Mr. Thorpe, I have your wife on the line. Her call was transferred from your previous hotel. Would you like to take the call?"

Roger frowned; he had specifically asked that only messages should be transferred, not calls. "Does she know that I've changed hotels since last night?" he asked.

"I couldn't say, Sir."

"Alright, please tell her that I'm out. I will call her later," he felt compelled to explain to the desk clerk. He hung up with more force than was necessary. Luckily, this was not the same clerk who had talked to him and Holly before. If this one wondered why he seemed to have two wives instead of one, he kept his musings to himself.

Still, the whole incident made him feel uncomfortable. He had never really been bothered by having to lie before, but there was finality in this one last lie, and it saddened him in spite of himself. Alexandra and he were having their problems, but she loved him, and he had cared about her too, once upon a time.

He put his vest on and checked his reflection, and then the phone rang again. "Yes?"

"Sir, your wife is calling again. Shall I put her trough?" There was something strange in the way the clerk accented the word "wife" this time, as if he was enjoying a private joke. Roger supposed that he was amused by Alexandra's insistence. "You don't know her in real life, buddy," he thought to himself before replying, "I guess she won't take no for an answer this time. Please, go ahead."

There was a short silence on the line before a soft feminine voice was heard on the line. "Roger! I've missed you so much; where have you been?"

Roger almost dropped the phone and blood drained from his face.

_Mindy_.

He had completely forgotten about Mindy.

* * *

"Roger, are you there?" Mindy called into the phone.

He took a big gulp of water from the glass on his nightstand before replying. "Yes, I'm here, he replied hoarsely.

"Why didn't you tell me that you would change hotels? I had to tell the other place that I was your wife and that this was an emergency for them to put me through."

And that is why the clerk was making fun of me, Roger thought with a sigh.

"Holly and I had to switch location to follow a syndicator. We made a deal with him and it went through today."

"That's great!" Mindy replied cheerfully. She hesitated a little before adding, "So, how are things between you and Holly? Are you getting along or does she still want to scratch your eyes out?"

Roger cleared his throat. He would probably be more comfortable on a bed of coal than having this conversation.

"We're doing – better. Yes, better."

"Okay," Mindy said uncertainly. It had always been easy talking to Roger, except about this one subject. Whenever she mentioned his ex-wife, she felt as if she was hitting a wall, and it scared her. Alexandra she felt like she could outlive in the end; Holly, she was not so sure. The official story was that she and Roger hated each other. How could she fight an enemy that had not declared itself?

"Will you come back tomorrow as planned?" she finally asked.

"Yes, my flight is at 11AM. I'll come by in the evening if I can get away."

"I really hope that you can make it."

"Me too," he said gravely.

He hung up and stared at his feet for a few seconds. He did not have the heart to break up with her over the phone. He would have to do it as soon as he came back.

As he made his way to Holly room, he wondered fleetingly what he would do about Alexandra and Mindy if Holly turned him down, then chased the unwanted thoughts away.

She answered on the first knock, and all Roger could do for the first few seconds was to stare at her.

"You look – stunning," he finally managed to say.

Holly gave him the once over and retorted with a smile, "Thank you, and you look very handsome."

It seemed to him that she was literally glowing as she took his arm to go down to the plaza. As for him, he was too overwhelmed to speak. The only think that he could keep repeating in his head over and over was that failure was absolutely, definitely not an option.


	10. 8PM

The fiesta was already in full bloom when they got out of the hotel lobby. The first thing that they both noticed was the flashes of color which seemed to pop from everywhere. There was a stone fountain in the middle of the plaza, the bottom of which was covered with a mosaic representing a yellow and red sun surrounded by a bright blue sky. There were garlands of pink and yellow exotic flowers hanging from the rooftops and crisscrossing over people's head. There were couples dancing and children running around them, all dressed in deep reds, emerald greens, purples and royal blues. In one corner, a pig was slowly roasting over a barbeque pit.

The spirits were high and laughter was contagious, and before long Holly and Roger were smiling broadly at each other, for no reason in particular. They crossed the plaza and reached the restaurant, refusing several shots of tequila from strangers in the process.

"Later, later!" Roger promised to the most insistent of them.

They were ushered to the terrace and seated at a table with a view to the festivities.

"Mexicans sure know how to party," Holly said as she looked amusingly at the crowd.

"You used to be pretty good at it yourself, if I remember correctly," Roger replied.

Holly shook her head self-consciously. "Don't remind me. I can't believe how reckless I used to be."

The waiter interrupted them by bringing the menus and two margaritas. "Compliments of the house," he announced, to the point. Roger waited until he was gone to propose a toast. "To Acapulco."

Holly raised her glass. "To Acapulco." They remained silent for a few seconds after taking a sip, both musing over what this single word now meant to them. They had put the past to rest in Acapulco, or at least they had taken a step in that direction.

Roger was the first one to break the silence. "It wasn't so bad, your recklessness, I mean. Most of the time I was the one initiating the craziness anyway."

"Oh, but did I like it! Well, I was young, and thank God I've grown out of it."

"But thank God you haven't grown out of your beauty."

Holly stopped with her glass mid-way between the table and her lips, and her astonished air made Roger chuckled silently.

"Don't act surprise; surely men compliment you all the time."

Holly finally took a sip. "Not that candidly."

"Forgive my frankness then. The thought did not just popped into my head, however. In fact, I've been thinking about telling you for almost two years now."

"Tell me what?"

"That you're more beautiful now that you've ever been. It's true, you know. I clearly remember thinking it when I first saw you after all these years, when I was at the hospital. You were holding a pillow over my face to smother me, but you sure looked cute doing it."

Holly reddened and hid her face behind her menu. "I'll take the _tacos con carnitas_," she said to change the subject.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Roger asked teasingly as he took the menu from her hand and waived to the waiter.

"Let's see; YES."

"About the attempt murder part or the being beautiful part?"

"Both! And for the record, my homicidal tendencies shall not be an object of mockery," she deadpanned.

"Since I'm your only target, I believe that I'm entitled to joke about it. Besides, it's all in the past now. That's the beauty of it! And the fact that I can call you beautiful without you ripping my head off is a definite sign that we are now in a much better place."

Holly cocked her head on one side and finally smirked. "I guess you're right."

They were interrupted again by the waiter, who took their order and forced two more margaritas upon them. "Fiesta," he merely grunted this time by way of explanation.

"I am glad that we're able to act civilized toward one another," Holly said to resume the conversation after the taciturn man had left. "But isn't flirting with me pushing things a little too far?" she asked innocently. "After all, you are married."

"And you are beautiful, that's a fact. I doubt that even Alexandra could deny me the right to admit it."

"How are things between you and Alex?" Holly inquired. The fact that she well knew the answer made her even more curious of what he would say.

"Not too good, actually. Ever since the Towers' fiasco, she had been very distant with me. I'm not sure that our marriage will be able to withstand the strain any longer," Roger replied while glancing at her sideways. Was he dreaming, or was she testing the water? Or was it just wishful thinking on his part?

"How about you and Ross?" he asked. This was as good an opening as any, he figured.

"We haven't set the date yet."

"But you're still getting married to him?"

They looked at each other as Holly slowly brought her drink to her lips. "Why wouldn't I be?" she said. He could swear this time that she was daring him to show his hand.

"Holly -" he began, only to be interrupted by the waiter bringing the plates.

"What were you going to say?" she asked after the man had disappeared back inside once again.

Roger put his burritos down and took a deep breath. "Before I start, please promise me that you won't throw your plate at me."

"And waste this amazing food? Not a chance!"

"And please promise me that you go back to hating me!"

Holly's eyes widened in surprise. "Jesus, Roger. What would I do that?"

"Alright, here it goes –". Before he could continue, however, they were disturbed once again, this time by Gabriella, the buoyant woman from the afternoon.

"You came! I knew that you would. Come with me now," she said as she tugged at Holly's arm.

"But I've barely started to eat!" Holly protested.

"It doesn't matter; just bring the food with you." Gabriella turned to Roger. "You stay here and finish your plate," she commanded as she dragged a mystified Holly inside the restaurant.

"Yes, mam," Roger said before winking at his ex-wife. Once he was alone, his smile gradually faded. Did he even have a chance with Holly, and if so, when could he finally open up to her about his feelings? He resolved to bring her back to the hotel as soon as Gabriella was done with them.

Time was running out.

..


	11. 9PM

Gabriella dragged Holly, who held on to her plate for dear life, trough the restaurant and the kitchen, where they were superbly ignored by the cooks, until they reached a tiny candle-lit room, only separated by the kitchen by a golden sheet hanging from the doorway.

The room was no wider than an alcove, and could only fit a small table and two chairs. The walls were lined with shelves covered with ancient-looking books, a portrait of the Virgin Mary, decks of cards and a crystal ball, which Holly eyed suspiciously.

"Its purpose is purely ornamental," Gabriella said with a smile as she took the plate from Holly's hands and put it on the table next to a pitcher of water and two glasses. She motioned for Holly to sit on the chair in front of her. "I prefer tarot or reading palms, but most of the time I don't even need anything."

"Need anything for what?"

Gabriella rested her back on her chair and toyed with one of her many silver bracelets. "I can feel things about people; I have what they call 'visions'."

"Visions," Holly repeated with a frown.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I've had this ability since I was a little girl. When I saw you with your companion on the plaza this afternoon, I immediately sensed something very strong emanating from you. You seemed very upset, very confused. I want to help you."

Holly folded her arms. "And how much is this help going to cost me?" she inquired dryly.

Gabriella shook her head, not even looking offended, "I never take money for readings; I'm afraid it would ruin my gift. The meal is on the house too, especially since you didn't eat half of it."

She reached for Holly's hands and placed them palms up on the table. "Will you allow me?" she asked.

Holly made a face, unsure of what to do. She was a sceptic by nature, and was distrustful of all things esoteric. On the other hand, she was already there, so she might as well stay and hear what the woman had to say. It might turn out into an interesting story at the very least.

"Alright," she finally said, "Dazzle me with your ancient wisdom."

Gabriella smirked. "You're a very cynical person, but you're not the first one to cross my path."

She took a sip of water and bent over Holly's hands. For a few minutes, she stayed silent as she studied each line and mound of flesh, turning and feeling every inch with her own fingers. "You have had a troubled life, with a lot of hardships when it comes to love. I see a great passion, but also betrayal and bitterness, even violence. Have you ever been to prison?"

Holly almost took her hand out in surprise. "How did you know?"

Gabriella smiled. "I don't exactly know. You see, it's not as if the movie of your life is playing in my head. I see things, fleeting images, and we have to work together to interpret them."

"I see," Holly replied. She now felt her heart beating violently in her chest.

"Calm down; nothing bad is going to happen," Gabriella said reassuringly. She had seen this reaction before, especially with the people who had not been inclined to take her seriously at first.

"What else do you see?" Holly asked breathlessly.

"I see a shooting. I also see a jungle, and a little girl with red hair," she said as she glanced at Holly. "She's your daughter, isn't she?"

Holly merely nodded.

"All of these elements seem to be linked to one man, a man that you have loved more than anything in the world but who has hurt you very deeply. He's the man sitting outside on the terrace as we speak," Gabriella stated.

"He's my ex-husband, and the child is ours. I did love him. I loved him to death," Holly said softly as she looked away.

"Yes, I can feel that, but there was a lot of anger and resentment between you two. I see that he – he attacked you." Their eyes met and Holly could see the compassion in Gabriella's eyes.

"He raped me."

"I know." She trailed her fingers over a line in Holly's hands. "There is a long period in your life when I can't see him. It looks like he vanished completely for several years and only came back recently."

"Yes, for the longest time, he was supposed to be dead. I went to Europe and remarried, and when that didn't work out, I came back home to the States. That's when he reappeared."

"You weren't to please about that," Gabriella indicated.

"How do you know?"

"I can hear you scream in my head."

Holly thought about Blake's aborted wedding ceremony to Phillip Spaulding, and Roger lying unconscious on the church floor, his mask tossed aside.

"And now?" Gabriella inquired.

"Now what?"

"Are you still mad that he's back into your life?"

Holly sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "No. No, I'm not"

"You know, I cannot presume to know what his feelings are, not until I get a closer look at him, but there is something that I am certain of. The energy that I felt between you two this afternoon was very different than the one that I can see here," she said, pointing at her hands. "It was very intense, almost frighteningly so, but there was nothing negative about it."

"It took a lot of work to get there. I'm still not sure how we managed to get past all of the things that have happened between us," Holly replied.

"I guess you must have felt that the other person was worth the fight."

She filled Holly's glass with icy water and told her to drink. "These sessions can be draining."

Holly finished her glass and put it back on the table. "This was indeed very - how shall I put it - interesting." She was about to get up when Gabriella put a hand on one of her arms. "Wait, don't you want to know about your future?"

* * *

Did she want to know about her future? Holly wondered as she waited for Gabriella to come back to the tiny room. The Mexican had left briefly to tell Roger not to worry and that they were almost done.

She had been torn between her feelings for Ross and for Roger since she had landed in Acapulco, and probably much longer than that to be honest, although on a more subconscious level. She felt exhausted by the war raging inside of her. Maybe it WOULD be easier if someone just told her which man to pick.

Gabriella was preceded by the tinkling of her bracelets, and she finally reappeared and sat back in her chair.

"Your ex-husband is fine; he's chatting with a couple of British people and they're all having a grand time."

"Good. So what about what's going to happen to me? I decided that I'd like to know."

Gabriella cocked her head on the side. "I'm afraid that it's not as simple as that. You have many possible futures ahead of you, and each of them can change at any moment. It all depends on the choices that you make in the present."

Holly stared at her, suddenly disheartened. "So, basically, there is no way for me to know?"

"There are general trends, of course. Let's see," she said as she took Holly's hands once again in hers. "For you, it all comes down to the choice between two men, your ex-husband and the man that is currently sharing your life. I see an engagement ring, is he your fiancé?"

"Yes."

"You didn't use to be as fond of the man as you are now."

"I used to hate him! You see, he's an attorney, and he defended my ex-husband during our rape trial."

"You look like you all come from a very small town," Gabriella remarked with a hint of a smile.

"It does seem that way sometimes, indeed. Anyway, Ross is a decent, good man now. He has changed a lot since that time. He's much more mature, more inclined to do the right thing."

"Like your ex-husband, perhaps?"

"You could say that, yes, although they are as opposite as night and day."

"I can see that, and yet you have feelings for both."

"So which one should I choose?"

"I think that you will be happy if you stay with your fiancé. There is a shadow over your relationship now, but with time and care it will go away, gradually. I can see a move to the East Coast, politics for him, maybe, and journalism for you, and a long, healthy life for both. It will be a stable and fulfilling relationship, based on shared values. There is a general sense of well-being around you two that I can feel even as we speak."

Holly sighed and closed her eyes. This is how she had envisioned her future with Ross, and this is exactly what she had thought she had wanted until just a week ago.

"What if I don't stay with Ross? What if I choose Roger instead?" she asked, her eyes still closed.

"I think you know that it will be more of a gamble, because your feelings for your ex-husband are much more intense, more than you even dare to admit to yourself right now. This relationship sounds very overwhelming to you, and I can understand why. If you do choose him, you will both have to work extremely hard for your love to withstand the trials of being together as a couple. There are no guaranties that it will work between you two in the long run."

"But if it does?"

Gabriella let go of her hands. "If it does, than you will know the kind of happiness that few other people ever get to experience."

She got up, inviting Holly to do the same. Holly got up unsteadily. "Think carefully before you make a choice, because then you might not be able to go back," Gabriella warned. She squeezed Holly's arm. "I'd like to see your ex-husband now; can you ask him to come?"

Holly nodded and crossed to the other side of the curtain. The noise from the kitchen and the restaurant hit her like a wave as she made her way, dazed and confused, to Roger.


	12. 10PM

Roger peeked behind the golden curtain and into the alcove, and then came in.

"My ex-wife sent me; I guess this is the place," he said half-jokingly as he took Holly's seat. The margaritas were starting to go to his head.

Gabriella nodded with a smile. "Thank you for coming."

"May I ask what went on between you two? She looked pretty troubled just now, and she only kept repeating that I had to come and see you."

"Let's just say that I gave her food for thought." She watched him as he examined their surroundings. "Don't worry; I'm not a witch, at least not a wicked one. I do palm readings; are you interested in one?"

Roger looked taken aback at first, and then a broad grin appeared on his lips as he extended his hands to her. "I'm game."

Gabriella took a hold of them and studied them silently. "Well, well, well. You certainly like to keep a lot of women about you, Mr. -?

"Thorpe."

"Mr. Thorpe." Gabriella opened a drawer under the table and took out three little figurines, all representing females. Roger leaned over the table, his curiosity awakened.

Gabriella pushed the first one in his direction. "First, there is your wife. I see blond hair and tons of money. Is that correct?"

Roger's eyes opened wide and he swallowed hard, nodding his head.

"She's slightly older than you, but still attractive. She's very driven, very powerful. One would that she's - what's the word?"

"Rusthless?" Roger asked sarcastically.

"Exactly."

Gabriella pushed the second statuette in front of Roger. "Then there is your mistress; another blond, but much younger. She's a darling, really. Do you love her?"

Roger looked uncomfortable. "I wouldn't say that, no, but I care about her. She's very endearing."

Gabriella nodded. "She loves you very much and I think that she's waiting for you to leave your wife, even if she won't admit it, but you're right, you're not in love with her, and neither are you with your wife. There is someone else, another woman, who has been occupying all of your thoughts lately."

She pushed the last figurine in front of him. "And we both know who it is."

"The one who got away," Roger said simply. He was past being surprised by Gabriella's declarations, especially since she had mentioned Mindy. There was no way she could have heard about her.

"The one who got away," Gabriella replied, using his words, "Yet the one who is here with you tonight."

Roger shrugged. "Holly and I have a way of always getting mixed up in each other's life. It's been that way ever since we've met each other, some twenty-five years ago."

"Yes, and I can see that she will always be in your life, but to which extent is for you two to decide.

"It seems to me like she's the one who has to make a decision."

"True, but you can help her to make a choice."

"How?"

"I will get back to that later. First, I'd like to tell you about your future, or what glimpse of it I can catch."

"Go ahead."

"There are three women in your life, and consequently, there are three roads that you can take. You could obviously stay with your wife. She does bring you a lot, even if you are not in love with her. She provides you with all the power that you crave, and she has the means to feed your ambition. She can fulfil that very important part of you. However, if you choose that path, I advise you to be extremely careful. Do not cross her, or you will be very sorry. The risk that you're taking by keeping a mistress is foolish and could do a lot of damage, especially to the young woman."

She paused to drink some water. "You could also choose to divorce your wife and marry your mistress."

"I bet it would wreak havoc over Springfield," Roger said, thinking of Billy Lewis.

"At first, definitely, but things would eventually smooth over. I think that you could really come to care for this woman in your own way, and she would be devoted to you. I can see little boys and a girl running around a big house."

"You mean that we would have children?" Roger asked, suddenly dreamy-eyed.

"I see three, but I might be wrong."

"I always wished to have a large family."

"I know."

Roger leaned back and started laughing. "You're good, you know that?" he said as he wagged a finger at her.

Gabriella winked. "I've been told so a few times."

Roger thought about his next question, but paused to take a long sip of water before asking it.

"You're wondering how it would be if you were with Holly?" Gabriella said.

Roger put the glass on the table and nodded. "I guess you don't have to be a psychic to know that."

Gabriella laughed too then became serious again. "I think that it would everything that you've dreamed it could be, but that it will be much harder to get there than you expect. You'll have to let go of many things that you want from life, things like power and having more children. Are you sure that you can do that?"

"I would do anything," he replied simply.

"Then the next few hours will be crucial."

"You said before that I could help her to make the right choice. How?"

"By telling the truth and by being the best person that you can be. You have a tendency to keep secrets; it has caused a lot of prejudice to people in the past, especially to her. Remember that honesty is a staple of any sound relationship."

Roger pondered over her words for a moment. "I'll keep that in mind. Is that all?" he said, readying himself to leave.

"Be patient, and don't go for the second best."

"Didn't Madonna say that?"

"Yes, and she knows what she's talking about."


	13. 11PM

Roger slumped on the chair facing Holly. "Well, that was interesting."

"You can say that again."

Roger glanced at her, trying to read her expression. She looked agitated. "Would you like to talk about it?" he asked, full of hope. He was dying to know what Gabriella had told her.

Holly nodded. "I think that we should, yes, but not here. Let's wait until we're back at the hotel."

Roger got up and held his hand to her. "Let's go then."

Holly took his hand and got up on her feet. She looked absent-mindedly at the fiesta behind him. "Not now, if you don't mind. I think I'd like for us to get lost in the crowd a little while longer, to see what else this fiesta has to offer. I need to clear my head, and besides, I should grab something else to eat if I don't want to pass out from all this tequila. You don't mind, do you?"

Roger sighed inwardly. "Of course not."

* * *

They spent the next hour sampling the food from the stands and talking with the locals. Roger spoke Spanish fluently, and Holly could manage fairly well if the other person spoke slowly.

He could see after a while that she was starting to lose her haunted look and to smile again, especially at him, and, when he dared to slip an arm around her waist to lead her across the crowd, she did not shrink away from him as she had done so many times.

As they walked about, they eventually ended up in front a tequila stand where they were hailed excitedly by the man holding it. "You! You came back!" he called out, raising a shooter in their direction.

Roger and Holly turned in surprise and recognized the man who had insisted that they make shots before dinner. He was now obviously fairly drunk. They smiled at each other and shook their heads at the Mexican. "We were just passing by, but thanks for the offer," Roger said.

The man shook his head vehemently. "You cannot just pass by! You promised that you would make a toast with me!"

Roger raised his hands in surrender. "Alright! But just one."

The man smiled blithely and poured three shots. "My name is Carlos, by the way."

"To love," he declared as he raised his glass, "And to beautiful women from all around the world," he added as he looked meaningfully at Holly.

Holly acknowledged the compliment by a slight nod and they all emptied their glass in one swift motion of the wrist.

Roger put his glass back on the stand with a sigh of satisfaction and grabbed the tequila bottle. "This is excellent stuff; it tastes nothing like what you can usually buy in the States."

"Ah, we keep the best in Mexico, that's for sure. I would offer you another glass, but I'm afraid that it might impair your faculties."

"I'm not driving; our hotel is right over there," Roger replied, nodding his chin at the elegant white building across the plaza.

"I was not referring to these faculties," Carlos said with a wink and another nod toward Holly. "I mean no disrespect," he added hurriedly when he saw her roll her eyes. "You two make such a good-looking couple, one would assume..." he said, his voice trailing off. He now looked utterly sheepish, and his expression was so comical that Holly could not help laughing.

"Don't worry about Mr. Thorpe's faculties, Carlos, he and I aren't married."

The man's face brightened at her words. "If it's only that, I don't see that it should stop you. Times have changed, you know. Take my wife and me for example, when we met -"

Holly put a hand on his arm to interrupt him. "I mean that Mr. Thorpe is already married, and that I'm engaged to someone else myself," she explained, looking at Roger sideways.

Carlos stared at the both of them before shaking his head, looking defeated. "Then by all means, drink all that you want, you both look like you could use it. I'm going to dance with my lovely wife," he said before leaving them alone with the bottle. They saw him push his way trough the thick crowd of dancers and join a voluptuous black-haired woman, who welcomed him with a smacking kiss on the lips.

Holly and Roger leaned against the abandoned stand and for a while enjoyed the sight of salsa dancers exhibiting their talents in front of them. "Do you know how to dance salsa?" Holly finally asked.

"No, you?"

"I took classes once, with Dietrich. One last-ditch attempt to save our marriage," she smiled cynically. "As you see, it failed, but I think I could still remember the basic steps."

"Shall we then?" Roger said, extending his hand to her.

"I thought you'd never ask," she replied playfully.

They remained on the fringe of the crowd, afraid to get in the way of better dancers. Holly painstakingly taught Roger what she knew, and by the end of the third song they were able to achieve what vaguely resembled a salsa number. For once, Roger put away his perfectionist tendencies and was happy simply to hold Holly in his arms and to hear her laugh at his lack of talent.

They were about to leave the dance floor when the orchestra finished their set. They were immediately replaced by a DJ, and soon the first notes of _Wicked Games_ resonated all around the plaza. Couples slowed their pace and women put their arms around their partner's neck.

"That song is playing everywhere these days," Holly remarked as she stepped toward their hotel, "even here."

"Wait," Roger said as he grabbed her hand. "Don't go yet. This one I know how to dance to." Before she could make another move, he pulled her in his arms.

The heat, the tequila and, most of all, Holly's intoxicating presence had finally triumphed of his willpower. He was long past caring about Alexandra and Mindy, even past caring of how he should declare his feelings to Holly. All he could do was to bask in the feeling of her body leaning against is, and of her head resting gently on his chest.

_The world was on fire and no one could save me but you.  
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do.  
I never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you.  
And I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you._

As they twirled around slowly on the dance floor, he briefly wondered how their lives would have turned out if he had really given their marriage an honest try. Would they have had more children? Would Holly smile more often? More importantly, would she be willing to try again?

"Did you and Gabriella talk about me?" He whispered in Holly's ear.

Holly leaned back to be able to look at him. "You know that we did."

"And what did she tell you?"

"She told me that I had to make a choice." Their eyes locked together.

"Have you?"

_No, I don't want to fall in love (This world is only gonna break your heart)  
No, I don't want to fall in love (This world is only gonna break your heart)  
With you (This world is only gonna break your heart)_

Holly shook her head and buried it in the nape of Roger's neck. His heart beating wildly, he stopped dancing and took her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him again. "Holly, I just can't stand this anymore." He leaned and their lips met in a slow, long kiss.  
_  
What a wicked game to play, to make me feel this way.  
What a wicked thing to do, to let me dream of you.  
What a wicked thing to say, you never felt this way.  
What a wicked thing to do, to make me dream of you and,  
_  
Holly wrapped her arms around Roger's neck, pushing her body against his and prolonging their embrace even longer.  
_  
I want to fall in love (This world is only gonna break your heart)  
No, I want to fall in love (This world is only gonna break your heart)  
With you.  
_  
When they finally broke away from each other, their chests were rising up and down heavily. Holly staggered backwards and, without another look in his direction, turned on her heels and ran back to the hotel.

* * *

Wicked Games was written by Chris Isaac, blah blah blah. It was a big hit in the fall of 1990, and I LOVE that song, even though it,s a bit corny.


	14. Midnight

Roger stood in front of Holly's hotel room with the palm of his hand resting against the door for a few seconds before knocking.

"Holly," he called out. "It's me."

At first he heard nothing, then light footsteps. The door opened noiselessly to reveal a barefoot Holly, her cheeks streaked with tears. She turned away from him without a word and went to the balcony.

The lights were out and the room was softly lit by the moonlight. Roger came in cautiously, noticing the abandoned sandals and the purse in a corner. He found his ex-wife leaning on the stony balustrade of the terrace, looking above the fiesta and toward the ocean.

"Why did you run away, Hol?" he asked gently when he was a few steps behind her.

Holly wiped her tears and turned to him with a sad smile. "I guess I got overwhelmed, that's all. Things have been changing so fast this last week; I barely know what's happening anymore."

Roger moved closer to her and took her hands. "I think that you do know and that it's frightening you. I'm still in love with you, Holly."

Somewhere in the distance, a clock stroke midnight as they gazed at each other.

"I've been trying to tell you all day how I feel," he murmured, "but I could never find the right words or the right moment."

Holly took her hands away from his and covered her face. "Since when – since when have you been feeling this way?"

Roger shrugged. "Since this morning; since forever, I don't know! Until we came to Acapulco, you used to hate me, so I never dwelled on the possibility that there might be something worth saving between us. Then when we got here your whole attitude changed, I still don't know why, but it awakened something inside of me, something that had been buried very deeply inside. And finally, last night, when you asked me to make love to you, and that I found myself turning down your offer, I knew that something had irrevocably changed between us. Don't think that I didn't want you, Holly, because refusing you has been one of the hardest things I ever had to do. It's just that I realized that for once I wanted to put your needs above mine. I was glad to do it. And this morning, when I woke up, I knew that it was all because I still loved you."

"Are you sure this is why you held back? Maybe you just felt that you owed me, or that you needed to make amends."

Roger shook his head and led her to the bed, then kneeled in front of her.

"I do want to make it up to you, more than anything, but it's more than that. I want another shot, Holly. I want us to be together, not to right the wrongs from the past, but because of I'm in love with the person that you are now. You are astonishingly beautiful, not to mention smart, sexy, caring and simply enchanting. You took my breath away; you turn my world upside down! You're the only one for me, and that's all there is to it."

He grabbed her hands again and held them tight. "I know that things are going fast, but surely this does not come as a complete surprise to you after today? Because I could swear that you've been thinking about the very same thing since this afternoon."

He gazed at her intently but she appeared frozen, too overcome to speak.

"Holly, did the idea of us getting back together cross your mind at all, or am I the only one feeling this way?"

His insistence finally seemed to trigger a response in her. "Oh God!" she pleaded as she got up and started pacing across the room. "You're asking me to bare my soul to you, and that goes against every instinct of self-preservation that I have developed in the last fifteen years. Do you understand what you're asking of me?"

"I understand perfectly and I'm sorry that this is making you so upset, but I HAVE to know. I can't go on with my life until I do."

He got up and grabbed her by the wrists, forcing her to face him. "Please, Holly."

She swallowed hard and he could see all the conflicting emotions flickering in her eyes. Then suddenly, tension seemed to leave her body and she leaned against him in surrender.

"You're asking me if I still have feelings for you: the answer is yes, I do. I could think about nothing else all day," she confessed, whispering against his chest. "I think that, just like you, I always knew it on some level. And now I can't go back to not knowing, even thought it would be so much simpler."

She let out a little, sad laugh. "You know, when Gabriella said that I had to choose between two different futures, I didn't expect that the crossroad would be coming up so soon."

"What else did she say?"

"In a nutshell? She said that I could be happy with either you or Ross."

"What? Didn't she say that you and I belonged together?" Roger exclaimed, disappointed. He certainly would not have minded having someone in his corner in this venture.

"No, she didn't, and if she had, I would have known that you had paid her to say it," Holly said, smiling for the first time since the start of their conversation. "And I'm pretty certain that she did not say it to you either."

"Well, not in so many words, but that was the essence of her message! She said that I would have to work hard at it, but that it would be everything that I had ever dreamed of."

"That's what she said to me too."

Roger grinned and put his arms around her waist. "You see! I knew it!"

"Actually, what she really said was that IF it worked with you, I would know a kind of happiness that I did not think was possible, but she also said that it was much more of a gamble with you than with Ross."

Roger's smiled gradually disappeared. "What are you saying?"

"That I can either live a peaceful life with him, or take my chances at true bliss with you, but that there is no guaranty that it will work."

Roger's heart sank in his chest. He knew Holly well enough to realize that she was not inclined to put her heart on the line anymore, and that it was his doing. He was the one who had put that fear into her. Was he destined to eternally pay for the way he had hurt her? If so, this would be in the cruellest way so far.

"So," he murmured softly, "is that a 'no'?"

Holly pulled away and went back to the bed. A thought had been nagging her since the beginning of the conversation, and she knew that she had to get it off her chest. She also knew that Roger would not like it, and that it might change everything.

"I'm not saying no, I'm saying I don't know. And you might believe that the choice is entirely mine, but you're wrong. There something that I have to tell you that could very well make you change your mind."

"That's not possible."

"Oh, it is." Her expression became troubled. If she went on talking, Roger might very well go back to hating her. On the other hand, how could she become his friend, let alone his lover, if she was not honest with him? She took a deep breath and finally took the plunge.

"You told me before that you could not understand why I was being so nice to you since we were in Acapulco. There is an explanation for my behavior, a very simple one, and you're going to hate it."

Roger went to sit beside her on the bed and laughed uneasily. "Come on, Holly, it can't be that bad."

"Alex and I planned on tempting you into seducing me," she blurted out before she could change her mind. "That's why I invited you here. To get rid of you once and for all."

..


	15. 1AM

Roger stared blankly at her, refusing at first to register her meaning. "What?" he finally asked, his voice faltering.

Seeing the betrayal on his face was too much for Holly, who started to cry again silently. "I'm so sorry! I must have been mad to ever think that this was a good idea, and I did say no at first, but then –"

Roger got up and motioned her to keep quiet. "Wait a minute! Whose idea was this?"

Holly sighed. "Alexandra came to see me about it a few months ago."

"Why the hell would she do such a thing?" Roger said, looking increasingly astonished and furious.

"After the Towers debacle, she said that you two grew apart."

"She PUSHED me away!" he shouted.

"That's not how she saw it. Anyway, she said that she had to know whether or not you still loved her, and that I was the only one who could help her prove it."

"How?" Roger asked, even though he was starting to assemble the pieces of the puzzle. By making him crazy with desire, that was how. Simple, effective; a full-proof plan.

"She thought that if you could resist sleeping with me, it would mean that you truly loved her and were faithful to her."

"Is that what she thought?" he said cynically as he thought of Mindy.

Holly nodded guiltily. "As I said, at first I flatly refused. We had spent a week in Costa Verde and everything had gone so well, but then we started fighting again about Blake. When you threatened to make my life miserable at WSPR if I didn't stay quiet about the fact that she had lied to Alan-Michael about being pregnant, I went to Alex and told her that I was on board."

Roger grinded his teeth and had to resist the urge to punch into the nearest wall. He felt like a complete fool. "So what was in it for you?"

"Your half of the station. If I could prove to Alex that you were unfaithful, she would have divorced you and driven you out of town."

"You actually would have slept with me to get rid of me?" he asked incredulously. None of this story made much sense, but this part was especially far-fetched.

"No, of course not. It was all arranged so that I wouldn't have to go through with it."

"So that's it? It was all an act on your part? Damn! What an idiot I've been!" He laughed again, but in such a way as to freeze the blood in Holly's veins. He got up and went for the door.

"It was an act until you actually put your hands on him," she called after him. He stopped next to the door but did not turn around. "It triggered something so strong that I knew then that I couldn't go on pretending. And all that has happened since that moment is real, Roger, you know that it is!"

She got up and stepped toward him. "Please, Roger, hear me out. I would not be standing here pouring my heart out to you and admitting my part in this stupid plan if I didn't care about you. Please don't hate me."

Roger rubbed his face tiredly and went to the bar. "I need a drink, and I need to drink it alone," he snapped before going on the terrace with a glass of scotch.

* * *

Would the ugliness ever stop, he wondered as he looked out to the ocean, his glass of scotch half-empty in his hand.

He had thought, naively perhaps, that they had had a breakthrough the night before, and now this! How could she have manipulated him in this way?

_Because you pushed her to it_, his conscience retorted inflexibly.

He shook his head in an effort to deny what reason dictated him. "She had no right..." he murmured.

_No right to what? To defend herself and what was rightfully hers?_ _She did exactly what YOU would have done in her place_, the voice inside his head continued relentlessly. _You threatened to make her life at work unbearable if she were to tell the truth about Blake's fake pregnancy. What choice did you leave her but to retaliate?_

"I only wanted to keep my girl happy. She would have lost Alan-Michael if he had known the truth," he muttered, trying to argue with himself.

_So what? Blake lied to the man that she loves and you lied to protect her. Lies creating more lies. You made it happen, Roger, you brought it on yourself. Holly was the only one ready to break this infernal circle, and instead of letting her, you dragged her right in the middle of it._

Roger groaned and emptied his glass. Would this voice ever shut the hell up?

Images of Gabriella suddenly appeared before his mind's eye. She too had warned him about the dangers of lying. She had told him that the only way to Holly's heart was by being totally honest. Was Holly trying to find her own way to his by confessing her part in Alexandra's sordid plan? Was she trying to meet him halfway?

_What do you think?_ the voice inside sneered.

"Ah, you're such an idiot, Thorpe!" he exclaimed as he grabbed his head with both hands.

There HAD been a breakthrough the previous night, or else she simply would have kept her secret to herself. He replayed the series of events that had happened during the week, her revelation shedding a whole new light on their trip. Yes, he could see now that her friendliness had been slightly forced at first, but not all the time. She had warmed up to him eventually, genuinely warmed up to him. She had been pleased to see him outside her hotel room, waiting for her to come down to dinner. She had laughed heartily at his jokes when they had worked side by side at the convention. And there had certainly been something in her eyes before she had kissed him the first time. Not calculation, not even lust. Excitement, maybe, or even love?

_So, what is it going to be, Roger? Are you going to walk away because of what she did? _the voice asked.

A smile slowly dawned on Roger's lips, and a dangerous light smoldered in his eyes. "Oh, I'm going to walk away from someone alright, but it won't be her," he whispered.

He stared at the ocean one more time before heading back inside. He could hear the waves crashing one after the other on the shore, but the voice in his head was now silent.

* * *

He found Holly sitting exactly where he had left her. Her eyes followed him as he went to the bar to deposit his empty glass.

"It's amazing what a good scotch will do to soothe the nerves," he said lightly before turning to her.

Holly shook her head, almost imperceptibly. "Don't toy with me, Roger."

He went to sit next to her. "I'm not. I'm just trying to tell you, in my own clumsy way, that I've been outside giving this matter a great deal of thought. There is something that I'd like to ask you."

"What?"

"Is there anything else that you'd like to tell me about this? Anything that you're leaving out of the story?"

"No. God, no!"

"So this confession of yours isn't part of some bigger, twisted plan to bring me down?"

"It's not."

He put his index under her chin and met her gaze. "Look at me; do you swear?"

"I do, Roger," she replied tiredly. "And for the record, I was never thrilled about the idea anyway, but somehow I convinced myself that this was the only way for me to be happy. I even brought a gun in case you tried something funny, remember? That's how much I trusted you until last night."

"Well, I'll admit that this is stinging real badly, Holly. I didn't know that you had it in you."

Holly looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I shot you twice, Rog, surely this does not come as a complete surprise."

Roger shrugged. "Yes, but those times you attacked me head-on. You didn't try to stab me in the back. No, this plan has Alexandra's mark all over it. This is exactly the kind of thing that she would pull."

"I went along with it."

"You did." Roger rested his arms on his knees and exhaled slowly. "But I've been a royal pain in the ass in the last few months, and I can understand how you would go to such lengths to make it stop."

Holly stared at him in astonishment. Surely she had not heard right. "You do?"

"Yes, and I'm sorry. It doesn't change the fact that what you did was rotten, but I'm sorry still."

"Okay. Me too."

They both sat in silence for a few minutes, looking at the floor.

"Alex is going to pay for this," Roger said matter-of-factly after a while.

"Is she? I'd say she's going to have my head on a platter for spilling the beans."

"No, she won't. I'm not going to tell her what went on here. She was afraid of losing me? Well, it's done now. I'm just going to walk away and never look back."

Walk away to where? Holly wanted to ask. But since she had no satisfying answer to that question herself, she remained silent.

"You know, I'm rather surprised at how well you're taking this. You're usually so vindictive; I was half-convinced that you would never forgive me!" she said, looking at him curiously. "You really have changed, haven't you?"

Roger smiled. "I guess I have, more than I knew myself. Introspection will do that to you. That, and falling off a cliff."

He got up and went to the dresser. He picked up one of her hairbrushes and played with it absent-mindedly. "Listen, Holly, there is something that you should know too, and it is part of the reason why I'm not as mad as you would have expected. It has nothing to do with us, not directly, but still I think that you should know."

"What is it?"

"Alex has asked you to test my fidelity, right?"

"Yes, it was ridiculous, I admit that."

"Not so much; I would have slept with you, remember?"

Holly felt her face turning red. She recalled his hands on her body perfectly.

"But there is more," Roger added. Here it goes again, he thought as he took a deep breath. Jumping without a safety net. "I AM having an affair."


	16. 2AM

Holly felt a dull pain invade her heart as she stared at Roger, her lips slightly parted from the blow.

"You have been sleeping with another woman?"

"Yes."

Holly turned away. She should not be surprised, she thought. After all, love affairs were Roger's "thing". He had cheated on her countless times when they were married. Then why did it hurt so damn much?

"You're an asshole, you know that?" she finally said in a low voice.

"Alex has been keeping me at arms lengths since this summer because I couldn't hold up to her crazy standards. I know that it doesn't excuse what I did; I'm just trying to explain how it came about. I was weak."

"I don't want to know. It's none of my business," she retorted fiercely.

"It is now! You've been totally honest with me, and so I feel that I owe you the same courtesy. But I also need you to know that it never would have happened with you."

Holly finally faced him and laughed in his face. "Please Roger! You have cheated on me so many times; why would it be any different now?"

"I'm not fulfilled by my life with Alex, and neither am I with my mistress," he tried to explain. "There was always something missing with either, and I realize now that it was you. You're the only woman that I need."

Holly crossed her arms and stared at him. "And I'm supposed to believe that?" If looks could kill, Roger thought as he took a step forward, I'd be a corpse.

"You believed it an hour ago. Please don't give up on the idea of us just because I've been unfaithful to someone else!" He waited for her to say something but she only shook her head.

"It's going to be over with both of them as soon as I get back to Springfield. It IS already over, Holly."

A slight breeze came in at that moment, making her shiver. She picked up a shawl lying at the foot of the bed and wrapped herself tightly in it. "Don't change your life on my account, Roger. There's no point. We're not fit to be together now, just like we weren't fifteen years ago."

"Don't SAY that! We've changed; we're better! We've never been as open toward one another as we are now. I could have kept this indiscretion to myself, especially since you're not the one I've cheated on, but I didn't."

Holly cocked her head on the side. "So why are you telling me exactly? Why couldn't you just keep you stupid mouth shut about it?" she asked heatedly. You have ruined everything, she added inwardly.

Roger sighed. "Because Springfield is a small town, and you're bound to run into her sooner or later. I wouldn't feel right about you not knowing," he tried to meet her gaze but she still avoided it. "I don't want to hide anything from you."

Holly walked to the terrace and fell into the nearest chair. "It's late Roger, why don't you just go back to your room," she said, her voice barely an exhausted whisper.

He followed her outside and leaned against the balustrade. "I can't leave you when things are like this. If you're mad at me, let me have it! Scream at me, hit me; throw me down into the ocean! Just don't give me the cold shoulder."

"Oh, I'm mad alright! I'm mad at myself for believing that things could be different. I must have been crazy to even consider leaving Ross, a good, decent man, to go back to you!" she said, her voice as cold as ice. "Who is she anyway?"

Roger looked at his feet, uncomfortable. "It's Melinda," he mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Holly asked, thinking, hoping she had not heard correctly.

Roger looked up to her and their eyes met. "Mindy Lewis."

The beautiful, blond, sparkly Mindy. Holly was suddenly blinded by flashes of Roger and the young woman in bed, their naked bodies intertwined. She got up hesitantly, unable to form a coherent thought. "Get out," she finally hissed.

"No, I'm not –"

She raised her hand to his face to interrupt him. "Either you leave this room right this minute, or I'll be the one to go."

* * *

She waited to hear the door close behind him to finally slump on the floor. She felt like a volcano had erupted inside of her heart, charring everything on its path. How she hated him, she thought as she brought her knees against her. She felt utterly consumed by rage.

_Rage, really? Are you sure that you're not mistaking what you're feeling for something else? _a cool voice inside of her inquired.

What else could it be?

_Jealousy._

Holly inhaled sharply. No matter how she wanted that revelation to go away, she could not make it. For the first time, she felt that a woman was seriously stepping on her territory as far as Roger was concerned, and it killed her inside. Yes, he was married to Alex, but everyone knew that this was a marriage of convenience. Even his own wife suspected it. Whereas with Mindy, it was only too easy to picture their endless nights of passion.

She felt cheated on as surely as if she had been the one married to him.

_But he had no clue that you still cared when he started this affair, _the voice said_. _

"I didn't even know myself!" Holly muttered exasperatedly. "Still, how can he say that he cares for me when he's sleeping with her?"

There was a long silence, and then the voice whispered again.

_The same way that you can care for him while being with Ross._

Ross. Holly got up as if she had been sitting on coals. She crossed her room and marched out to Roger's door. She loved Ross, and she was going to tell Roger just that. And then it would all be over.


	17. 3AM

He had ragingly thrown his jacket on his bed and was now pacing like a caged lion.

Holly had reacted so much more strongly than he ever would have anticipated, he thought as he stopped to strip off his shirt. And because of what? Mindy meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. She was charming and lovable, but she was not Holly.

He looked at his watch and growled. Their plane left in a few hours and it very much looked as if she was going back to her old life without him. The thought of it was almost unbearable.

A sharp, hard knock on his door pulled him out of his reflections. He practically jumped over his bed to reach it, knowing that it would be her standing on the other side. She came in briskly and went to stand in the middle of the room, her hands on her hips.

"I came to tell you that I can't accept your offer, Roger."

"Holly, please don't make any rash decisions." He could see that her temper was still high and chose his words carefully, afraid to antagonize her any further.

"No rash decision? Roger, you're the one who is asking me to leave my fiancé for you, a man who not only is married but who is carrying on with another woman on the side! I'd say that staying with Ross is the sane decision here."

Roger approached her slowly, one step at a time. "That may be true, but I know for a fact that you were considering it until I told you about Mindy. Why is it that you feel threatened by her so much, when you have no problem with the existence of my legitimate wife?"

"I couldn't care less about Mindy Lewis," Holly exclaimed, much louder than necessary. She inhaled slowly, trying to keep her cool. "And I'm certainly not threatened by her. She's just a child."

"Ah, but a gorgeous one," Roger retorted with a devilish grin. He knew now what rubbed her the wrong way; she was jealous. And if she was jealous, she still cared. If he could only get her to admit it, then all was not lost after all. He stepped closer to her so that their bodies almost touched.

"I really enjoyed making love to her, I won't lie about that." He watched her closely for a reaction, but she kept her face like a mask. Only her chest rising unsteadily betrayed her emotion. "She had all the right moves, and she knew how to get me coming back for more," he added wickedly.

Holly took a step back and shouted: "Shut up, Roger! SHUT UP!"

He grabbed her by the wrist and crushed his lips on hers, pushing them open with his tongue. She moaned as he slammed his hips against hers, and again as he pinned her firmly against his body. There was no mistaking the intensity of his desire as he kissed her over and over again.

After a few minutes, he pulled away so suddenly that she almost lost balance and had to clutch at the dresser not to collapse of the floor. "I'm sorry that I had to be so blunt," Roger said as he tried to catch his breath, "but I had to know if jealousy was the problem here. Mindy has nothing on you, Holly. My heart, my soul and my body – Lord KNOWS my body - belong to you. Didn't I just prove you that?"

Holly closed her eyes, her breathing still ragged, and slowly slumped on the floor. She had been kissed before, but never like that. Not even by him.

"Yes, I am jealous," she finally conceded in a low voice. "I can't stand the thought of you with her."

Roger kneeled in front of her. "But I'm not with her anymore. I already told her today that we had to talk. I can call her right now if that is what it takes to make you change your mind." He was already half-way up when she stopped him by putting a hand on his thigh.

"Don't. You might regret it when you come back to Springfield," she said calmly.

Roger shook his head. "Don't say that, please don't say that."

Holly patted a patch of rug next to her and waited until Roger had sat down. "I don't want us to fight anymore, not about Mindy, nor about Alex or anything else. We've made peace this week, and you should be grateful that this small miracle happened."

Roger sensed a "but" and had to fight the urge to physically cover his ears to block what was coming next. "It's true that I still care about you, Roger. I want you too. The mere thought of your lips on my skin makes my knees weak. But it doesn't mean that going back to you would be the right thing to do. I do love Ross, even if in a completely different way, and he makes me happy."

"I could make you happier," Roger retorted stubbornly, staring straight ahead of him.

"I'm not willing to take that chance, Rog, I'm sorry."

Roger groaned and got up, starting to pace to and fro again. "You're not being fair, you know that? Ross has had what – a year to court you and to make you fall in love with him? With no competition at all, might I add, while I have to contend with him and try to win you over in only one day!"

"I'm sorry," Holly repeated, "but we can't go back and change the course of events."

"No we can't, but you can give me a fighting chance," he said as he turned to look her straight in the eyes. "You've given me one day. Now I'm asking for one night."

Holly felt the blood gradually creep from her neck up to her cheeks. "What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean. Let me make love to you. Let me show you how much I honor and worship you."

She hid her blushing face behind her hands. "This is crazy, Roger. You're asking me to be unfaithful to Ross."

"I'm asking you to follow your heart!" he exclaimed eagerly. "If you still want to go back to him tomorrow morning after this, I won't try to stop you, I promise."

"This is insane. We're in a time warp, Roger, we've been stuck together for a week and now you're convinced that you can't live without me, but that's not real life."

"I'm not going back to either Alex or Mindy when I come back to Springfield, Holly, mark my words. And if you go back to Ross without giving us a try, soon you'll be married and it will be too late for you to come back to me. Don't you want to find out if maybe there is still a chance for us?"

Holly sighed then got up. She was exhausted, she was confused, and the sight of Roger's half-naked body rattled her badly. Finding out was the reason she had decided to stay. Maybe it had to come to this.

Maybe she had known from the start that it would come to this.

She took a step in his direction. "And if we decide to part in the morning, neither of us will broach the subject ever again?"

"Never," Roger sighed as he pulled her in his arms.


	18. 4AM

_Okay so for those of you who hadn't seen the sex scene coming, here it is, and it is defenitely rated M._

* * *

They undressed each under solemnly and stood looking at each other's body for a few seconds. They knew each other by heart already, every curve; every line was familiar to the other.

Holly slowly ran her finger over a scar on Roger's left hip. "This one is new, isn't?" she asked softly.

"CIA," he whispered back before sliding his arms around her waist and pulling her to him. They fell on the floor as they kissed hungrily, their bodies rolling over one another. Holly soon wrapped her legs around the small of Roger's back and shivered as he entered her, the tension of the past week finally culminating in that one moment.

They made love with wild abandon, as if the sun would never rise again. Holly welcomed each of his trusts by arching her back to the point of breaking, while he clung to her almost desperately. Their pleasure came and went in waves until it overwhelmed them completely, and they cried each other's name, their voices mingling as they finally collapsed side by side on the floor.

* * *

Holly was dozing off as Roger ran his index lazily up and down her left side. There was no noise coming from outside except the wind in the palm trees; the fiesta was over.

"Do you remember what we used to do after making love?" he whispered, speaking so softly that he did not really expect to wake her.

She stirred and turned on her side. "Yes, I remember."

"Are you still up for it?"

She nodded and smiled. "Let's go."

* * *

The water was hot and soothing.

Roger picked up the soap and worked up a thick lather. "Come here," he said to Holly who had been leaning against one of the shower's marble wall.

"We could fit at least ten people in here! This shower is so much more spacious than the one we used to have at the house," she said as she complied.

"And much classier too," Roger said as he pointed at the tiled floor and the floor to ceiling glass door. "Alright, turn around."

She moaned with satisfaction as he started to run his hands up and down her back, spreading the soap and massaging her shoulders at the same time. "This feels great," she sighed.

He worked his way around her waist, and then lingered on her breasts and her belly with trembling hands. She rested her palms on the wall as he slowly made his way down to her thighs and her legs and then back up.

"Let's rinse you off," he said huskily as he turned one of the numerous knobs. A hot jet sprang from the side of the wall, making the steam heavier. Holly turned around a couple of times, getting rid of the soap, aware of Roger's eyes on her.

"Your turn now," she said.

"Maybe later," he said, taking her in his arms and kissing her. She pushed him away with a small laugh and picked up the soap.

"Some things never change, do they?" she said as she rubbed his arms and back.

"I could never resist the sight of you, if that's what you mean," he replied, trying once again to pull her in his embrace. Holly firmly pushed him against the wall and started to wash his chest and his belly, studiously ignoring the fact that he was getting hard again.

She kneeled and washed his tights slowly, watching his features twist from the anticipated pleasure. Her fingers circled around his erection, barely grazing him, until she could see that he could take it no longer. She then took him in his mouth, making him gasp.

Her mouth was cool after the hot water and felt heavenly. Roger leaned back and clutched her hair between his fists, losing all sense of time and space. When her felt on the verge of losing control, he pulled her up and lifted her against the wall. She wrapped herself around him and moaned as their bodies started to move rhythmically.

"This was always my favorite part," she managed to say between two sharp intakes of breath.

The steam was now so heavy that they could barely make out each other's faces anymore. All that existed was the other's skin, the other's touch as their bodies met over and over again.


	19. 5PM-8PM

They had thought, naively, that they could hold on to that moment, if only for a little while longer, but it had been impossible. They had fallen asleep as soon as their heads had touched the pillow.

Roger turned on his side and blindly reached for Holly, pulling her closer into his arms. His face found the nape of her neck and his left hand went to rest on the small of her back. Holly sighed and moved a leg over his thighs. Their breathing was slow and steady, his heartbeat harmoniously echoing hers.

They did not dream. There was nothing left to dream of after what had just happened.

Outside, the sun began to rise, turning the inky black sky into a rosy pink. A new day was coming.

As the hours flew by, Roger and Holly slept on, blissfully unaware of the rapidly approaching dawn.


	20. 9AM

The first thing that Roger noticed was a familiar scent. He opened his eyes and his gaze fell on his ex-wife, who was still soundly asleep. He smiled as he breathed in deeply. She had changed perfume over the years, but her natural scent was still the same. Still intoxicating.

She had drifted away from him during the night and as he looked at her, he felt an urge to feel her body against his again. Cautiously, he shifted his weight so as to spoon her slender frame.

He could not wait for their new life together to begin.

He ran a finger on her arm, lightly tracing the curve of her elbow. They could move from Springfield, he thought as he grinned widely. Yes, that was probably the best course of action. Alexandra was bound to be furious by his leaving her, and having Ross around would be even more awkward.

Where would they go? Europe, maybe? He had always been fond of Paris, and so had she. He could picture them there, living in a small house in Montparnasse like the carefree artists of old, drunk on love and good wine.

They might end up missing Blake too much if they went that far away though, he suddenly reflected. A closer destination might suit them better, come to think of it. Chicago, maybe? Or New York!

Yes, of course. New York. The city where their relationship had taken a serious turn; where they had made love for the very first time. He had rarely treated her with the respect that she deserved back then, but now he finally had a chance to change all that. He was going to lay the city at her feet.

* * *

Holly opened her eyes and look disconcertedly at her surroundings. Then she felt the weight of his arm on her waist and remembered.

The previous night played in her mind in fast forward; the lagoon, the nap, the dream, the dinner, Gabriella. Her heart began to race as she then recalled the dance…the fight….the love making on the floor…the lovemaking in the shower. She raised her head cautiously from the pillow to take a peek at the clock on the nightstand. Their plane left in two hours.

Roger was going to wake up any minute now, asking for a decision that she felt incapable of making. And he would not understand, no, she already knew that he would not. For Roger, things were always either black or white, whereas she was swaying between endless shades of grey.

She loved him, but she also loved Ross. No matter whom she chose, she would be facing a tremendous loss. The question was; in which case would it hurt the most in the long run? Would leaving Ross be an act of courage or of insanity? Would staying lead her away from the true love of her life?

She turned so as to face Roger and gazed at his face. His features were –oh!-so familiar to her. It was almost as if looking in a mirror; that's how much a part of her she felt him to be. She used to consider him as her dark side, her crazy half. She had tried to get rid of him, as she would have with a gangrenous limb. But he had healed. They had healed together.

Severing him from her life now seemed impossible, yet keeping him as a lover was something else entirely.

_Don't you just wish that you could flip a coin and that would be that? _the voice in her head said.

"Hell, yes," she muttered miserably.

"A penny for your thoughts," Roger asked at that very moment, making her jump. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she had not noticed that he had been awake and looking at her for several minutes.

"I've been thinking about you and me…and Ross," she said slowly. There was no point in beating around the bush.

Incredulity appeared into Roger's eyes, followed by shock and finally by panic. He sat up straight in the bed and stared at her, and though her doubts were plainly showing on her face, he still needed for her to spell it out.

"You mean that you're still thinking about going back to him?"

She sat also and put her pillow on her lap. "I don't know what to do, Roger."

"After what happened last night? Come on, Holly, you were right there on that floor with me," he exclaimed, pointing at the spot where they had made love, "and you felt what I felt, I know it! I thought that my heart was going to burst and so did you!"

Holly clutched at the pillow and briefly buried her face in it. "It's not as simple as that. There's a difference between a night of passion and a lifetime commitment, Roger, and right now I'm not sure in which category to put what's happening to us."

"I can't believe this! I was so sure…"Roger shook his head as his voice trailed off.

They stared at each other painfully. "I have a story to tell you," Holly finally said. "Maybe it will help you understand how confused I am. I had a dream yesterday, when we fell asleep at the lagoon. I dreamed of my wedding day to Ross."

Roger swallowed hard and nodded. "Go on."

"Everything about it was totally eerie. The cathedral was grand and my gown was beautiful, but there was no guest except for a fistful of people. Ross was waiting for me, and I could see him as I went down the aisle. Then he disappeared…and you took his place."

"Sounds like a hint to me," Roger said with a raised eyebrow. Holly raised her hand, signalling him that she was not done with her story.

"You were dressed in the clothes that you wore in Santo Domingo, Roger, and so was I," she said in a flat tone that made him wince. "I froze, right there in the middle of the aisle. Then Blake appeared and pushed me forward, and you were also egging me on, telling me that everything was going to be alright and that it was the right thing to do. I didn't know what to believe."

"What did you do?" he asked, hanging to her words

"You held your hand out to me…and I took it."

Roger got up with a triumphant look in his face. "See? We ARE meant to be together, and deep down you do know it!"

"It was a dream, Roger," Holly replied dejectedly. "Maybe it's all that it was."


	21. 10AM

After having dressed and packed his bags, Roger went to meet with Holly in her room. It was almost time to leave.

He found her sitting at the foot of the bed, looking absent-mindedly toward the ocean. Closed suitcases were spread at her feet.

"You're going back to him, aren't you?" he said as soon as their eyes met.

She swallowed back a sob. "Yes."

"I see."

"Do you, really? You're asking too much of me, Roger."

He went to sit by her side and took her hand. "How is loving each other too much?"

"I have a good thing going on with Ross. Things have been great lately and I don't want to lose that for something as uncertain as a relationship with you."

"It wouldn't be like before," Roger said fervently.

"Oh, I know, but still. You and I are always going to be more...explosive as a couple, let's put it that way."

Roger grabbed his hair and shook his head. "I wish I could make you as sure as I am that it would work. I wish I could just touch you and impart you my certainty. We're meant to be, Holly," he said pleadingly.

"How can you expect me to make a decision now? A week ago you and I barely talked, and now you want me to leave Ross without at least giving him a chance?"

"Well, you can't very well see us both at the same time, Hol. You HAVE to make a decision now."

"Then it's going to be him, Roger. I'm sorry."

She got up but he followed her, refusing to let go of her hand. "Roger, you promised that you wouldn't fight me on this. You said that you wouldn't try to stop me if I chose to go back to Ross. Please don't make it harder than it already is."

Her words made him stop in his tracks. He HAD made her a promise. He just never thought that he would have to keep it.

So this is what it feels like to lose, he thought as he let her fingers slip away from his.

"We're going miss the plane of we don't leave now," Holly said quietly.

"Go ahead. I'm not leaving."

Holly opened her eyes in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I won't go on that plane with you as a friend, or whatever we are now. I think I'll stay here a little longer and…figure out what do with my life."

Holly took a step in his direction but he turned away. "You don't have to say anything, Holly. I know how you feel."

He walked out to the terrace and stayed there for a very long time after he had heard the door close behind her. She was gone. For good.

He glanced at his watch. It was 11AM.

* * *

Holly sat in her seat near the window and tried not to look at the empty one beside her. Since leaving the hotel, she had almost gone back twice.

Would she regret this? She wondered as the plane took off. Would her heart skip a beat before saying "I do" to someone else?

Had it been too late for her and Roger, or too soon?

* * *

_Alright, just one chapter left and then this story will come to an end!_


	22. Epilogue

**Six months later**

Roger hurriedly crossed the lobby of his apartment near Washington Square and pushed the revolving doors. He was late for a cocktail party he had no desire to go to.

The sun was so blinding that he did not see the woman trying to come in, not until he bumped into her.

"Holly?" he gasped, squinting to get a better look at her face. "Is that you?"

He could see her blush slightly as she nodded. "How are you Roger?"

"I'm fine...I'm good," he stammered. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you. On business," she added quickly. "Blake gave me your address."

"Oh. Well, come in."

Holly looked past him at the lobby. "I'd like that, but it looked like you were on your way to someplace important. We can meet later if you want. I'm here for a few days."

"No, come on in. It's nothing that I can't get out of." He motioned her to follow him. They took the elevator in silence and got down on the last floor.

"Would you like something to drink, some tea or coffee?" Roger offered before leading her to the living room. Holly shook her head and went to the window. "That's quite a view you got here," she remarked, pointing at the square below. Throngs of people were hurrying by in the typical New York fashion.

Roger smiled briefly. "You know me; I like to be in the thick of things."

He glanced discretely at her left hand. There was no wedding band yet on her finger. The wedding should take place any day now, he thought. He had not spoken to her since their trip to Acapulco; in fact, he had barely seen her at all. The few times that he had, Ross was by her side. Blake had offered bits of information about her mother from time to time, speaking of a possible move to Washington if Ross ever considered running for the Senate, until he had asked her not to mention her mother anymore. Although she did not know the entire story, their daughter did suspect that _something_ had happened between them during that trip. She had, however, respected her father's wish.

Holly sat on the couch and Roger took the armchair. There was an awkward pause before Holly started. "You caused quite a stir when you left Alex and Springfield behind last spring. It was all the town could talk about for weeks."

"You sound surprised."

"I'm surprised that you did it, yes. I never thought that you would actually walk away from Spaulding Enterprises and its millions."

Roger shrugged. "I told you that I would. There was nothing holding me back there after Acapulco. I never got the chance to thank you, though, for not telling Alex that I had broken the prenuptial agreement. If you had it would have been hard for me to come here and start over. Financially speaking, of course."

"You know I never would have betrayed you. Alexandra is having enough of a hard time as it is since you left; I saw no need to turn the knife in anyway."

"I bet Ross would not have taken the news too well either," Roger said.

Holly cleared her throat. "No, and he must never know about what happened between us."

"I know." He went to the bar to fix himself a whiskey and soda and briefly glanced at her in a small mirror on the wall. She was fidgeting with her watch and did not notice him staring at her. She was as lovely as ever, he thought, with her soft curls and her classic gray suit. She had been on her mind constantly for the last few months, waking up with her image ingrained in his brain, going to sleep with her voice whispering in his ears. He had wondered if he would ever see her again; now she was sitting on his couch. It seemed surreal.

"So, what is it that you need to discuss with me?" he asked. He could not for the life of him guess why she would need to talk to him, and more importantly why she would have to come to New York to do it.

"I came to ask if you might be interested in selling your shares of WSPR."

Roger stared at her for a few seconds, trying to comprehend the implications of what she was saying. "Not especially. I thought that you didn't mind my financial implication now that I had reverted back to being a silent partner." Was even this tenuous link between their two lives too much for her to bear?

"It's not what you think. Ross and I are both want to sell our shares of the station, but neither of us has enough money to buy the other out. We did find someone who might be interested in buying our shares, but only if you would sell yours too. Unless you're telling me that you might want to buy the whole station?"

"No, I couldn't afford it either. Who's the buyer? Alex?"

"No, it's Billy Lewis, actually. He's looking to diversify his investments."

Roger fell back on the couch and took a sip of his drink. Selling to Mindy's father? Why not.

"I don't understand why you would want to sell your shares thought. I thought you loved your job. Are you and Ross moving out of Springfield?"

Holly looked at him briefly, and then stared at her clasped hands. "I thought you knew. Ross and I broke off our engagement two weeks ago."

"WHAT?" Roger exclaimed. He was on his feet before he realized what was happening. "What happened?"

Holly smiled sadly. "It was never the same between us after Acapulco. I tried to be at peace with my decision but I guess I just couldn't.

"You couldn't?" Roger asked with a trembling voice.

Holly shook her head. "I kept thinking back about the time that we spent together, how it was supposed to help me put our relationship to rest, when all it did was to raise all these new questions and feelings. I couldn't go on with the wedding plans. It would have been unfair to Ross to bring him into this marriage when I was so unsure of myself."

"Does he know what happened?"

"No, but he knows that my decision has something to do with you. He's not stupid, he noticed how distracted I got sometimes after I came back from that trip, and how quick you were to ask for a divorce and move out of town. In fact he asked me point blank a few weeks ago if I still had feelings for you."

"What did you say?"

"I said yes, and that was the end of it."

Roger blinked, almost reluctant to believe what he was hearing. Was this really happening? He went to sit by her side and spoke cautiously. "If you really mean that, why didn't you come to me sooner?"

"Because I was upset about the whole thing! Ross is devastated and so I am. It was not an easy decision, Roger," she said as she ran her hand trough her hair. "Then there's Mindy. I know that she came to New York to be with you, Roger."

"She did." Roger recalled a night, a few days after his arrival in New York, when Mindy had come to knock on his door. It would have been easy to let her in to his apartment, and into his life. He had chosen not too. "I turned her down, Holly. I think that she's in Paris now. I meant it when I told you that it was over with both her and Alex."

"So you're not seeing anybody?" Holly said as she finally faced him. There was a gleam of hope in her eyes that sent his pulse racing.

He grinned and shook his head. He had had his string of flings when first coming to the city. A long parade of blondes and brunettes – never redheads – coming in and out of his bedroom. No one that really counted, like he knew it would.

"I'm free as a bird, Hol."

"Oh, well. That changes things."

"I'd say that it does."

They both glanced at each other before Roger took her into his arms. He hugged her until her rib cage cracked while she burst into laughter. "Oh, Roger," she said as she traced the contours of his cheeks with her hands. "I think this is the first time that I've smiled in weeks."

"I can't believe that this is happening. I CANNOT believe it!"

* * *

The sun had set but they had been too engrossed in their conversation to even bother turning on the lamps.

As they both reminisced about the last months, they laughed and cried. Holly was now snuggly nestled against Roger's chest.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Roger asked. "Would you consider coming to live in New York?"

"I think it would do me good to leave Springfield, yes. I won't lie to you, it's hard running into Ross. I thought I might rent an apartment –"

"Nearby," Roger interrupted her smilingly.

"-Nearby, okay, and look for a job."

"Sounds like a wonderful plan," Roger said as he bent over her to kiss her lips softly. His hands moved from her waist to her face while the kiss turned more passionate.

After a few seconds, she gently pushed him away. "I need to take things slow, though. You understand, don't you?"

Roger hesitated. If he could have his way, he would have her move in that very night, but he knew that it might end up ruining his chances in the end. She was still grieving over the end of a relationship. Change took a while to adapt to, even when it was for the better.

"My door will always been opened to you, and you can drop by whenever you want. I hope it will be often."

"I think I'll find my way here more days than not."

"Good." He kissed her again then helped her on her feet. "I'm starving. How about you?"

"Me too!"

"Perfect, because there is a little Italian restaurant that I think is high-time we revisit."

"I'm ready."

* * *

_Well, that's it! I really wanted a happy ending for these too, but one that was plausible to me. I hope you enjoyed the story!_


End file.
